René Bouvier Gevrey-Chambertin Racine du Temps Très Vieilles Vignes 2012

Reviews

RB

"This is the name of a wine from two plots (Le Créot and Pince-vin, a total of 1 hectare / ˜ 2.5 acres), with 90-year-old vines that produce shot berries (hens and chicks, or millerandage). The soil is of two origins: limestone gravel and hard rock substrate for one, and marl for the other. The Gevrey-Chambertin Racine du temps concentrates all the qualities of a great wine from the Domaine René Bouvier. It is marked by the intensity and depth of these very old vines. You will enjoy a wine with a very concentrated texture, where viscosity soothes the mouth without any sugary heaviness. Its very complex expression combines notes of ripe concentrated fruit, violet, heather, spicy roots, and citrus fruit, with a freshness that ends with a very long, smooth finish. You can keep this wine for 15 years or more. Depending on the vintage, we use 50% whole-bunch fermentation, and ageing lasts about 18 months in barrels (with 30% of new barrels). It will be paired with all kinds of beef, game, stews, a braised veal chop, veal liver with cumin sauce, or a capon stuffed with mushrooms and foie gras in its juices. [2012] is one of our greatest red vintages (my personal favourite), with perfect weather, alternating between periods of heat and light rains, resulting in ideally ripened grapes. The expression of the wines is marked by fresh fruit notes. The small yields (20 to 25 hectolitres per hectare) have brought great density, balanced by a very beautiful acidity, which reveals the wines and gives them length. In this vintage, you will find red wines of great purity, offering a lot of pleasure today, but certainly worth keeping. It's also a great year for white wines.