Tasted in Beaune with Frédéric Weber, 01 December 2023.
Bouchard Père et Fils
15 Rue du Château
21200 Beaune
Tel: +33 3 80 24 80 24
www.bouchard-pereetfils.com
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More reports with Maison Bouchard Père et Fils
Of course, it was to be expected but there are significant changes afoot chez Bouchard Père since it became part of the Artemis Group. From the 2023 vintage, Bouchard’s strategy is to be 100% domaine producers – actually, there’s 10% négoce that remained in 2023 but there will be none in 2024. Just 3 years ago 80% of their production was produced from contracts – admittedly much of that volume was a small number of (mainly) regional wines but it’s still a significant new volume ‘available’ to other producers from 2023. I asked about the large parcel of Clos de Bèze that they rented and the answer was simple – it’s not domaine! The eagle-eyed amongst you may have also noted that their shop in Beaune is no-longer open for business.
There were also some smaller changes – but no less important – that took place during the 2023 harvest; the team from Domaine Eugenie harvested Bouchard’s Bonnes-Mares and Chambertin – it seems that, moving forward, these are now cuvées of Eugenie.
For the longer term, will Artemis really feel the need to own large swathes of Beaune and Savigny-lès-Beaune? We will just have to see…
Frédéric on 2023:
“We produced a little less than in 2022 – and that was because of the hail – up to a third was lost in a large part of Meursault.”
Frédéric on 2022:
“In 2022 we did some green harvesting – it was the rain in June that changed everything certainly compared to, upto, that stage in the similar vintage of 2020 – with plenty of hydric stress. It was a harvest of good volume from clean, healthy grapes and vines. Our first harvesting was in Volnay on the 26th of August and the whites brought in about 38-39 hl/ha – the reds too – small grapes with plenty of thickness to the skins. Of course, some people chose to leave plenty of grapes on the vines but we chose a different route. I compare to 2015 or 2019 for the reds, the whites originally reminded me of 2015 for the golden colour of the grapes but the wines are closer to those of 2017 – warm, expressive but chiselled, finishing without heaviness.”
The wines…
For the last half-dozen years I have found Bouchard to be the greatest of the Beaune producers – and there is such a quantity of great wines here in 2022 too. Amongst them, potentially, the greatest of all the Montrachets that I tasted – though Prieur was very close !!
Practically 4 ha, south-facing.
Directly a finely perfumed width – such an invitation! Large in the mouth – concentrated but still vibrant flavour – sappy, it’s more than juicy – intense. That will be absolutely top – but wait 2-3 years.
Some wc excitement here. Silky, complex – lots of wc perfume, properly perfume – That will be a great example of this wine! What fragrance!
2022 Beaune 1er Marconnets
‘The latest area in Beaune – white marnes – yet sits above Clos du Roi which is one of the earliest with not much soil – more stones and sand.’
Larger scale aromas. A more direct and fluid feeling, mineral even – growing larger with fine energy. Again to wait for but super flavour again – simply excellent wine.
2.4 ha on the hillside – usually the first harvested in Beaune. ‘One of the earliest vines on limestone’
Another very attractive aromatic, the wc again, this time more airy and open. Super shape – hard to say ‘calm’ but more so than the Marconnets – beautifully fluid over the palate – that’s just so good – obviously great Teurons!
2022 Beaune 1er Clos de la Mousse
This is a 3.36 hectare monopole next to Les Avaux. Before hitting the mother-rock there’s a deep and dense clay soil that’s rich in lime so needs 5 or 6 days more time to mature compared to Grèves – but it never suffers from drought as there are some springs.
Gorgeous perfume – mainly sold in the French market, the young vines here are declassified. A fine, structure – melting red fruit, with a juicy width. Another simply excellent wine – and with finishing power too!
2022 Beaune 1er Grèves L’Enfant Jesus
Four different plots, vinified separately, with different vine ages – 45 and 65 years old at the bottom and 25 plus 35 years old at the top – that’s one day difference in terms of ripeness – 0.5 ha recently replanted. 3.91 ha.
Less ready, it’s a quite direct though smaller nose. Here’s a wine with structure and great texture – like the nose, a little shy – but with fine individual points today – including a lovely, faintly spiced length – wait 5 years I expect – given my experience, maybe 15 😉
A 3.75 hectares, again in 4 plots. A sunny place so maturity comes very quickly here, so together with Enfant Jesus (Grèves) usually the first to be harvested – just 50 cm of soil before the limestone. Earliest harvested – 26-27 August
Like the Jesus the nose is smaller and less approachable today – but air does add width and some extra finesse. Broad and layered in the mouth – really some impressive and still open concentration here. What concentration! That will make a great wine in 20-30 years – I, quite possibly won’t be around to check on it though!
2022 Le Corton
“A bad surprise for us – this is normally a late starting sector but the losses were bad here – red and white.”
A smaller nose again but here’s a fine wc perfume. Larger scale and clearly more open – not the intense concentration of the Volnay but with more volume of flavour and modest but visible structure – that’s going to be very classy Corton!!
2022 Nuits St.Georges 1er Les Cailles
1 ha here. The earliest parcel that’s ready in Nuits
Here there’s some width a suggestion of structure to the darker fruit – it’s from the north! Mouth-filling with some extra depth to the velour texture. Despite following the Corton this has extra depth of finishing fruit – the Corton had the texture.
A wild nose of complexity and energy – becoming calmer and more rose perfumed in the glass. The volume and shape of the Cailles but with the silky velour of the Corton – here is class – that’s a great 1er !!
2022 Echézeaux En Orveaux
A little almond complexity in these aromas – but what a complexity! Direct, mineral, oh-so faintly framed with a little tannic dryness – but there is no grain. Growing larger and juicier in the finishing flavour. A wine that grows and grows and grows – what a great finish. Be patient with this excellent wine.
2022 Bonnes-Mares
The following vintages will be under the Eugenie label. Chambolle side but terres rouges. Old vines that average 2.5 barrels per year.
Not a large nose but such a beautifully open and fragrant aromatic – the wc perfume of roses and peony. There’s some direct and architectural style here – but so open and so classy. More muscular if narrower finishing – but hauntingly long…
2022 Clos de Bèze
This the last vintage – there’s no 23… Always the same parcel, almost 1 ha under the forest – so higher vines. harvested by the Bouchard team.
A more shy nose again but with clarity of darker fruit – very pretty. Hmm, starting direct then filling the palate with width. The tannin is clear here but still with a texture of velvet – very small grained. A wine of structure but also super finishing perfumed flavour.
Les Whites
2022 Beaune du Château Blanc
10 ha from 5 1ers – each with separate elevage. In foudre – so this is the definitive blend.
A sweetness of ripe pineapple. Almost strict in the mouth but with mouth-watering sweeter fruit. Mineral width for the the last flavours. Keep a couple of years but I think this will be delicious.
2022 Beaune Clos St.Landry
‘A 2 hectare Clos – yellow marne here, practically the only place in Beaune. Even in the 13th century, it is written that here in Beaune was planted chardonnay – it has always been planted to white as far as anyone knows.’
A smoky minerality greets the nose – that’s very attractive. Super-fine! Sweeping, mineral, growing with fine acidulated flavour – I love it! It the flavour hangs around so long too…
2022 Meursault 1er Gouttes d’Or
The width and faint spice of fine Meursault! Nicely structured but melting and fluid too. That’s just a beautifully shaped wine – one that’s far too easy to drink. Simply excellent!
2022 Meursault 1er Genevrières
2.65 hectares from two plots; one from above the road to Chassagne which is a steep slope of old vines. The second is from a more stony plot that brings freshness and minerality. ‘We’re lucky to have large parcels – here 2.6 ha. High and low assembled.
A more perfumed nose – more direct too – gorgeous. More generous on the palate – in terms of shape – it’s far from fat. Just a wonderfully fine, melting, freshness of flavour. A hint less expressive but more perfumed than the Gouttes d’Or today…
2022 Meursault 1er Charmes
The previous is one of the first harvested – this is one of the last, though only 400 metres away.
Wider, waxy, silky textured. Hmm, a beautiful entry – this wine just slips in – complex, saline – spiced and completely delicious – there’s a subtle but undeniable finishing energy here – simply excellent Charmes already with a finish that surprises with its intensity!
Normally from 3 different plots totalling 1.2 hectares. Normally, with separate elevage but blended together at the end. The bend of two of the domaine’s parcels.
A slightly more golden citrus but direct and fresh – lovely! Crystalline. Growing in juicy size. Eventually filling the mouth. Then really broad over the palate – this needs a bit more elevage but it could certainly be a great wine!
300m height, 3.85 hectares at the top of the hill, just above their Les Corton, east oriented with rows planted north-south, the intention being to preserve freshness. ‘It’s important to wait for the maturity here.’
Hmm – now that’s a nose – almost chalky fresh – yes – and growing properly perfumed too – that’s a great nose! Structured, intense, but fresh and crystalline. That’s simply a great wine – bravo! 2 cases of this will see me out!
All four terraces were harvested and assembled on the same day.
Oh yes! Much more vertical – zesty freshness above the vibrantly mineral depth that supports it. More direct and more silken vs the chalky width of the Corton-Charlemagne. A wine that eases into every space on/in your palate – what a great wine again – I slightly prefer the challenge of the Charlemagne today but here is a texturally more sophisticated – and also great – wine.
2022 Chevalier-Montrachet La Cabotte
Hmm – more floral and silken nose – less zesty. The calm of the previous but with more generosity of width and layers to those flavours. Contemplative but still a wine with wonderful balance and purity. Such a wonderful thing…
0.89ha bought in 1838, with only 4 (known) owners in centuries.
Obviously larger, obviously another level of complexity – a sort of zen calm to this nose. Ultra direct, totally fluid. Concentrated without weight. Mineral and direct – but at the same time with such impressive width. And the finish is also haunting but with width. That’s a properly great one. Possibly the best that I’ve tasted this year!