In this low-yielding vintage, Bachelet elected to include his grapes from prime lieu-dit Evocelles in his 2019 Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes, and the result is a predictably superb wine. Wafting from the glass with notes of dark cherries, cassis, baking chocolate, warm spices, peonies and mandarin rind, it's medium to full-bodied, bright and concentrated, with lively acids, ultra-refined tannins and a long, resonant finish. This will be worth a special effort to seek out. Denis Bachelet has done it again. The 2019 vintage is a brilliant success at this address, and its only disadvantage is that yields were some 40% below average. As a result, Denis decided to combine all his communal Gevrey-Chambertin holdings into one cuvée, so there is no Evocelles this year. I also revisited several 2018s from bottle—I'm ashamed to say, selfishly opting to taste the cuvées I purchased for my own cellar—and was delighted to find that they have realized all the considerable potential they showed from barrel. Of course, followers of this estate will be familiar with the rudiments of the contemporary Bachelet style: old vines, destemmed berries and gentle extraction, followed by élevage in barrels, of which up to 30%—for the Charmes-Chambertin—are new and most of which derive from Tonnellerie Rémond. As I have reported in the past, Bachelet has been punching down less since the 2014 vintage, evolving in the direction of finesse and structural suppleness without sacrificing depth. (WK)

The 2019 Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes contains what fruit was eked out from Evocelles this year. It has a clean, precise bouquet of black cherries, iodine, violet and light sous-bois aromas that soar from the glass. The palate is medium-bodied with a granular texture, impressive weight and disarming elegance and harmony on the finish. Try finding a better Village Cru than this in 2019... you won’t. Denis Bachelet was the only visit rescued from my cancelled last week of tasting. I had to forego my baguette for lunch, but the wines were worth the sacrifice. Covid aside, the pandemic is not the only challenge that Bachelet has faced in recent months. “The summer dryness means that we are 40% down in terms of quantity,” a rueful Bachelet told me as we descended down the precariously steep steps to the barrel cellar. “There have been three consecutive dry seasons and it is beginning to affect the vines. There is just no water. In 2020 it was even less. I started picking on 14 September.” What can I say that I have not written before? From the entry Côte de Nuits-Villages up to the Charmes-Chambertin, all the 2019s bare the hallmarks of Bachelet’s style: pure red fruit aromas, stunning delineation, machine-tooled precision and bewitching grace on their finishes. The only downside is that the shortfall means there is no Les Evocelles this year.

Deft but not imperceptible wood sets off spicy, fresh and ripe aromas of black cherry, raspberry, plenty of earth and a whiff of underbrush. The delicious and dense, even juicy, medium weight flavors possess fine underlying tension before concluding in a bracingly saline-inflected, balanced and sneaky long finale. This too is excellent for its level and should drink well both early and with up to a decade of bottle age. *Burghound Outstanding Top Value!*