92

Stephen Tanzer

Vinous

(there are just 230 magnums of this juice, bottled in late November; the vine density here is a ridiculously high 36,000 per hectare, each carrying a maximum of three clusters): Medium red. Higher-toned and more expressive than the Evocelles classique, offering scents of dark cherry, spices, licorice, game and crushed stone. Juicy, intense wine with a captivating touch of sweetness, noteworthy pliancy and subtle saline minerality. The best of these 2015s to this point by a clear margin. Finishes long and gripping, with harmonious tannins. There was just a single one-year-old 350-liter barrel of this juice. 12/2016

91

William Kelley

Robert Parker/Wine Advocate

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. Denis Bachelet is candid in expressing his preference for his 2016 vintage over his 2015s: he finds sunny, concentrated vintages such as 2015 less exuberant and graceful than cool vintages such as 2016. For all that, his 2015s are superb: their fruit ripe but succulent, their tannins refined, their aging potential considerable. While his 2016s will certainly be more rewarding in the near-term, when the patient test Bachelet's preference in two decades' time, the outcome will be far from certain. Note that the domaine has made a number of changes since the 2014 vintage, switching coopers (after some unsatisfactory barrels prevented the 2009 and 2010 vintages realizing their full potential) and diminishing the number of punch downs during maceration. A new cellar now makes work easier, too. Bachelet is very pleased with the results, finding the wines more accessible and transparent. 04/2018