2015 Domaine Denis Bachelet, Gevrey-Chambertin, Les Evocelles

The 2015 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Evocelles has a crystalline bouquet with black cherries, briary, cold stone and hints of orange rind, all beautifully delineated. If this is not a premier cru quality nose, then it is grand cru. Quote me: The palate is medium-bodied with supple, lace-like tannin. This is disarmingly beautiful, pure red cherry and strawberry fruit pricked with energy and frisson, whilst the finish exudes precision. Perhaps the best Les Evocelles that I have ever tasted from Denis Bachelet, maybe from any winemaker. Three barrels produced. Grab one.

(from 60-year-old vines): Medium dark red. At once wilder and more racé on the nose in a classic Gevrey way, offering scents of dark fruits, game and savory minerality. Pure and fine-grained, showing the energy and intensity of a premier cru. Finishes firm and persistent, more salty than sweet.

The 2015 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Evocelles is a touch darker in profile than the Vieilles Vignes, offering up notes of cassis, dark wild berries, plum, cocoa nib and grilled game. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied and complete, more tensile than the Vieilles Vignes bottling, with a bright line of acidity and chalkier tannins. Whether one prefers the wilder fruit and precision of the Evocelles or the more gourmand Vieilles Vignes—or simply appreciates them both—will be a matter of taste.

From the mid slope and very thin soils on rock. Just three barrels and this is a blend of them all. Not especially deep crimson. Very fine perfume with lots of sweetness but also very pure stoniness, with a hint of cassis actually. Please all. Pure and unforced. (JR)