"Some of the most spectacular wines being made anywhere in the world" -Antonio Galloni
It's been over seven years since our last Val Vilaine offer. Frankly, our allocation is modest, and it's a wine that sells itself.
With that said, the 2018 is such a remarkable vintage of the wine that I felt compelled to offer it out. There's been plenty of excitement over the 2018s. If the Val Vilaine is a sneak peek of what's to come, that excitement is very appropriate.
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The 2018 Val Vilaine is explosively intense and seductively textured. It has an incredible sculpted precision and an utterly beautiful purity. There's such density, length, and layered, nuanced complexity. For all its impact, there's an undeniable class to the wine.
The Val Vilaine site is 1.5 hectares of south-facing Pinot Noir vines that were planted in 1974. In the past handful of vintages, Bouchard has restricted yields even further in the Val Vilaine vineyard and that resulted in elevating the wine to another level. The 2018 is a dramatic example of this.
In many ways, Bouchard's approach is more Burgundian than Champenois. All of his wines are based on a single vineyard, single varietal, and single vintage bottled without dosage. When Bouchard started in 2000, this philosophy was revolutionary. Soon, his cuvess took the wine world by storm. Bouchard's biggest break came in 2008 when Antonio Galloni's Champagne coverage placed Bouchard at the top of his list along with heavyweights like Krug's Clos du Mesnil, vintage Selosse, DP Oenotheque, etc. It was an incredible introduction for a producer few had ever heard of.
For me, Val Vilaine has always been the value in the Bouchard lineup. Since 2012, the wine has begun to overdeliver in a profound way. The 2018 represents the wine in prime form.
To order, email offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Ian McFadden
Director, Fine & Rare Wine
Crush Wine & Spirits
