2008 - Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts, Domaine de Montille

Good deep red. A touch of reduction to the aromas of black fruits, smoked meat and minerals; interestingly, this was less high-pitched than the 2009 samples I tasted before it. Then large-scaled, rich and saline; chewy but not a sweet style--or is it simply closed today? Firm acidity carries the wine's explosive fruit through a rich, chewy finish that features saline and peppery nuances and remains light on its feet.

The de Montille 2008 Vosne-Romanee Les Malconsorts evinces salted meat broth and mushroom stock allied to ripe, fresh red fruits, and purple plum, accents of black pepper and star anise adding allure. There is depth and richness here without a lot of weight, and with finely-integrated tannins as well as the lovely preservation of fresh fruit juiciness that characterized the corresponding Clos Vougeot. This finishes with subtly saline savor and some really mysterious allusions to carnal, stonily mineral, and forest floor elements. I suspect it will be both delicious and intriguing to follow it for the next 15-20 years. Etienne de Montille related having taken great pains in early September, 2008 to stave-off encroaching rot and promote ripeness, and felt that his rigorous leaf-pulling and crop-thinning – not to mention eventual triage – paid off sufficiently that he could vinify a substantial portion of the 2008 crop in his preferred manner, utilizing a high proportion of stems and whole clusters (100% in the case of this year’s grand crus and top premier crus). Those wines for which a point spread is indicated were all last tasted shortly before their early spring bottling as finished assemblages in tank – whence they had been racked at the end of 2009 because de Montille did not think their fruit density or lees quality would have supported longer barrel-elevage. (Despite my longstanding predilection for de Montille and his wines, I regret to report that time and circumstance conspired to keep me from tasting his 2007s.) Various importers, including Beaune Imports, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 559 1040; also, a Thomas Calder Selection, Paris; fax 011-33-1-46-45-15-29