Bright, polished, and packed with character, the 2008 Échezeaux from Bouchard shows off maraschino cherry, vanilla, chalk, and a mouthwatering saline edge. A hint of white pepper kicks up the finish with energy and lift. From the high-altitude En Orveaux parcel, this wine reflects the vintage's challenges beautifully — vibrant, savory, and made to go the distance. One to enjoy now or tuck away through 2025.

* Available for pre-order, estimated delivery December 2025
* Offered in OWC 1 or OWC 6 cases

The Wine Advocate | RP 92
Published: Jun 29, 2010
Drink: 2010-2025

Bouchard’s 2008 Echezeaux – from the high-elevation, drought-prone En Orveaux section of that cru, ideally suited for withstanding the rigors of a dismal summer – mingles maraschino, vanilla, and chalk dust in the nose as well as on a saline, savory, saliva-inducing palate, and notes of white pepper add emphatic invigoration to a penetratingly bright finish. Whether or not further depth or low tones emerge here, we already have a handsome monument to the vintage that should be worth revisiting for at least 15 years.

Director-winemaker Philippe Prost made no attempt to minimize the challenges of 2008 and was careful to distinguish between its wind-borne concentration and genuinely ideal phenolic maturity (approached more nearly this year in white than red). He opined that the wide window afforded for relaxed picking despite the late calendar date was critical, since the levels of ripeness were so disparate from one site to another. That said, he showed me an outstanding collection of Pinots. Ironically, as he pointed out, ripeness was also disparate in one of the two earliest vintages on record, 2007, yet picking – while fitful – was anything but relaxed due to the pressure of rot. And here, too, Bouchard scored excellent successes. By means of, where necessary, “swapping lees” between barrels to inoculate stubborn lots, Prost says he was able to get all of his 2008s through malo-lactic conversion in timely fashion, which he considers especially important with Pinot. Bottling of the 2008 reds – with a few exceptions mentioned in my notes and due to have been bottled in April – took place in December and January, the same schedule adopted for their 2007s. I did not have an opportunity to taste nearly all of Bouchard’s vast collection from either vintage, and have in the text of my notes indicated a few from among their 2008s that I take to represent significant omissions. (I have not noted “Domaine” to distinguish those wines that are part of the Bouchard, except in cases where there is another otherwise eponymous wine.)

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TASTING NOTE: Intense aromas of red fruit and spices entwined with oaky hints. This wine is a perfect marriage of the elegance of its terroir and the power of its Grand Cru standing. Very good ageing potential.

FOOD/WINE PAIRING: Roasts or meat dishes in sauce, medium-flavoured cheeses.

SERVING TEMPERATURE: Between 17C to 18C

AGEING POTENTIAL: 10 years and more

MATURING: 12 to 14 months in French oak, with 45 to 60% new oak.

AGEING: The cellars located in the Bastions of the ancient Chateau de Beaune offer ideal ambient conditions. Thanks to their natural hygrometry and constant temperatures, the Grands Crus enjoy from their first youth an environment that is perfectly adapted to tranquil ageing.

GRAPE VARIETY: Pinot Noir

SOIL OF THE APPELATION: Limestone and clay with stones