As always, from the same Swiss supplier each year. Priced in Swiss Francs (chf)
Image (right) courtesy Domaine Leflaive:

DOMAINE LEFLAIVE 2021 – Puligny-Montrachet
In brackets are the prices for 2020, 2019, 2018, 2017, 2016 & 2015 – though most of the 2018 prices are missing (—), sorry …

THE ENTRY WINES
Bourgogne 75cl 74.00 (69.00, 55.00, 49.00, 45.00, 42.00, 38.00)*
Puligny-Montrachet 75cl 129.00 (119.00, 99.00, —, 89.00, 82.00, 69.00)

PREMIER CRUS
Puligny-Montrachet Les Clavoillons 75cl 195.00 (185.00, 148.00, 139.00, 128.00, 118.00, 89.00)
Meursault Sous Le Dos d’Âne 75cl 195.00 (185.00, 148.00, —, 128.00, 118.00, 99.00)
Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatières 75cl — (—, —, —, 198.00, 185.00, 145.00)
Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes 75cl — (—, —, —, 198.00, 185.00, 185.00)
Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles 75cl 475.00 (385.00, 299.00, —, 259.00, 245.00, 195.00)

GRANDS CRUS
Bienvenues Bâtard-Montrachet 75cl 895.00 (—, 595.00, —, 498.00, 459.00, 325.00)
Bâtard-Montrachet 75cl 1,040.00 (890.00, 648.00, —, 565.00, 498.00, 348.00)
Chevalier-Montrachet 75cl 1,350.00 (1,190.00, 840.00, —, 695.00, 685.00, 445.00)

*As always the Swiss purchase tax (7.7%) is not included but otherwise, these are delivered prices.

Well, not only do they have an expensive new cuverie to pay for, they also have only a tiny, tiny volume of 2021s to sell!

Well, it’s been quite some time that a big pile of money has been looking for a new home!

Last week at the press conference of the Hospices de Beaune, a fellow ‘writer’ asked me if I’d heard about a billion euro transaction to buy Louis Jadot and then they jinked and said ‘or maybe Bouchard Père!‘ – Well, what could I do with that?

Then came this yesterday – no links, no other information, and at least as far as Google was concerned, nothing to corroborate. So, still nothing that I was going to go out on a limb to publish. But today, Bourgogne Aujourd’hui and Wine Spectator had the press release:

“François Pinault’s Artémis Domaines—the owner of Bordeaux’s Château Latour, Burgundy’s Clos de Tart and Napa’s Domaine Eisele Vineyard—is buying a majority stake in Maisons & Domaines Henriot, which owns Bouchard Père & Fils in Burgundy, William Fèvre in Chablis, Maison Henriot in Champagne and Beaux Frères in Oregon. The Henriot family will become minority shareholders in the combined company.”

The amount of money involved in this transaction has not been disclosed but the magic billion is on many peoples’ lips.

But let’s turn the clock back to 1995 when the Henriot family from Champagne bought Bouchard Père for an estimated, at the time, $50 million. This was a time when Bouchard was in the doldrums – both the company and their wines – losing money despite having 90 hectares of their own vines – today it’s more like 130 hectares – oh and not to forget their cellar of more than 6 million bottles came with the sale. Three years later, Henriot added Domaine William Fevre in Chablis to their family of wineries. Since the purchase of William Fevre, a whole generation of wine-writers have seen Fevre and Bouchard as domaines joined at the hip.

And the nice little earner?

With a little under 0.9 of a hectare, Bouchard Père is the third largest owner of Montrachet. In the current climate of (Burgundy) vineyard valuations, those vines alone have, possibly, a value of 150-200 million Euros. With that context, a billion Euros might just seem a little cheap don’t you think? I think you can safely expect that the price of (their) Beaune will be on the up!

As an (obvious) addendum to the Artemis/Henriot announcement, on this same day, came the announcement that the previous head of Bouchard Père – Thomas Seiter – was taking on the position of President at Louis Jadot in Beaune, replacing (the retiring) Pierre-Henry Gagey, whose son, Thibault Gagey, will be taking on the role of Jadot’s ‘Directeur-Générale.’

From my usual Swiss merchant. In brackets, where offered, are the previous prices of the 2019s, 2018s, 2017s and the 2016s, — indicates not offered:

Domaine Bruno Clair
Marsannay Blanc 2020 75cl 35.00 (—, 28.00, —, —) * (Swiss Francs)
Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru 2020 75cl — (—, 145.00, —, —)

Marsannay 2020 75cl — (34.00, —, 32.00, —)
Marsannay Les Grasses Têtes 2020 75cl 49.00 (42.00, 39.00, —,—)
Marsannay Les Longeroies 2020 75cl 49.00 (42.00, 40.00, —, —)

Savigny-les-Beaune Les Jarrons 1er Cru 2020 75cl 53.00 (49.50, 48.00, 48.00, —)
Savigny-les-Beaune La Dominode 1er Cru 2020 75cl 69.00 (—, 59.00, —, —)

Vosne-Romanée Perdrix 75cl 2020 99.00
Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Charmes 2020 75cl 149.00

Gevrey-Chambertin Clos du Fonteny 1er Cru 2020 75cl 130.00 (119.00, 119.00, 105.00, 115.00)
Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers 1er Cru 2020 75cl 160.00 (145.00, 145.00, 139.00, —)
Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er Cru 2020 75cl 249.00 (228.00, 215.00, 189.00, —)
Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques 1er Cru 2020 150cl 518.00 (476.00, —, —, —)

Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru 2020 75cl 395.00 (335.00, 335.00, 298.00, 325.00)
Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru 2020 150cl 810.00 (690.00, —, —, —)

Chambertin Clos de Bèze Grand Cru 2020 75cl 395.00 (335.00, 335.00, 298.00, 325.00)
Chambertin Clos de Bèze Grand Cru 2020 150cl 810.00 (690.00, —, —, —)

The prices are always high for this combination of producer and merchant – but this remains a favourite producer of mine…
*As always with this merchant – there’s an additional Swiss purchase tax of 7.7% to add, but then the prices are delivered…

Whilst these wines were once quite expensive not much cheaper more than 10 years ago, their prices have remained impressively stable – though possibly not next year after the decimation of their 2021 yields. Below are the prices of their 2020s – which are unchanged since their 2017s. Still, only two cuvées are offered but my Swiss merchant expanded the offer to include larger formats in this vintage. I bought some 2020 (neither of these cuvées) direct from the domaine and the prices are comparable.

POUILLY-FUISSE Tête de Cru Les Perrières 2020 75cl 42.00 (*Swiss francs)
POUILLY-FUISSE Hors Classe Les Ménétrières 2020 75cl 52.00

*Delivered price, but Swiss purchase tax is still to be added – 7.7%.

From my usual Swiss source:

In brackets, you will see the prices of the 2017s and, as usual, — means not offered

Domaine d’Eugénie 2018:
Vosne-Romanée 2018 75cl 79.00 (75.00)* (Swiss Francs)
Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Brûlées 2018 75cl — (188.00)

Clos Vougeot 2018 75cl 359.00 (349.00)
Echézeaux 2018 75cl 359.00 (349.00)

Meursault 1er Cru Poruzots 2018 75cl 148.00 (—)

The price you see is ‘delivered’ but ex 7.7% Swiss purchase tax. It seems that 80-. is becoming common-place for even a villages wine these days – yet all the domaines are sold-out and their 2021s are fully reserved – which doubtless leaves them asking themselves ‘Why did we price so low?!‘ …

DOMAINE LEFLAIVE 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020
Mâcon-Verzé 2017, 2018, 2019 75cl 33.00 (Swiss francs*)
Mâcon-Verzé Les Chênes 2017, 2018, 2019 75cl 38.00
Mâcon-Verzé Le Monté 2019 75cl 39.00
Pouilly-Fuissé 2020 (2019, 2018) 75cl 52.00 (49.00, 49.00)
Rully 1er Cru Leflaive & Associés 2017, 2018, 2020 75cl 49.00
Image, right, ex-Domaine Leflaive

As usual from this merchant, the prices are ‘delivered’ but without the mandatory 7.7% purchase tax. Save for a little jump for the Pouilly, stable as she goes…

The prices from my usual merchant in Switzerland:

Domaine Marquis d’Angerville 2020 (in brackets the prices of the 2019s, 2018s and then the 2016s – I never saw 2017s…)
Volnay 1er Cru 2020 75cl 85.00 (79.00, 75.00, —)* (Swiss Francs)
Volnay Fremiet 1er Cru 2020 75cl 115.00 (105.00, 105.00, 105.00)
Volnay Champans 1er Cru 2020 75cl 149.00 (129.00, 129.00, 129.00)
Volnay Clos des Ducs 1er Cru 2020 75cl 248.00 (215.00, 198.00, —)

These 2020s are available for delivery only at the end of this year. The price you see is ‘delivered’ but ex 7.7% Swiss purchase tax. That’s a jump!

Here are the Clos de Tart 2020s from my local merchant.

You can compare these prices to those of the 2019, 2018, 2017 & 2016s which are in the brackets – from the same merchant source. — indicates ‘not offered.’

Onwards and upwards for the pricing here – but as a benchmark, almost the same price as DRC’s 2019 Grands-Echézeaux – assuming that you are on the ‘first-tier’ list of the distributors, and half the price (okay nearly 60%) of DRC’s Richebourg and Romanée Saint-Vivant…

Clos de Tart Grand Cru 2020 75cl 648.00 (595.00, 498.00, 498.00, 448.00)* Swiss francs
Clos de Tart Grand Cru 2020 150cl 1,356.00 (—, 1,050.00, 1,026.00, 926.00)
Clos de Tart Grand Cru 2020 300cl 2,842.00 (2,630, 2,300.00, 2,042, 2,042.00)
La Forge de Tart 1er Cru 2020 75cl 195.00 (—, 189.00, 169.00, 188.00)

* Including delivery, but not including Swiss purchase tax of 7.7%

From my usual Swiss importer source. The prices of the 2019s, 2018s, 2017s, 2016s and 2015s from previous years are in brackets for you to compare (— means not offered).

DOMAINE WILLIAM FEVRE CHABLIS 2020
CHABLIS Village 75cl 24.00 (—, 22.00, 22.00, 22.00, 19.00) Swiss Francs*
PREMIERS CRUS
CHABLIS Vaillons 75cl 42.00 (39.50, —)
CHABLIS Montmains 75cl 42.00 (—)
CHABLIS Montée de Tonnerre 75cl 54.00 (49.50, 48.00, 48.00, 45.00, 42.00)
GRANDS CRUS
CHABLIS Preuses 75cl 79.50 (79.50, 78.00, 78.00, 75.00, 65.00)
CHABLIS Preuses 150cl — (—, 161.00, —)
CHABLIS Bougros Côtes de Bouquerots 75cl 84.00 (84.00, 79.00, 79.50, 79.00, 65.00)
CHABLIS Les Clos 75cl 105.00 (98.00, 94.00, 89.00, 89.00, 75.00)
CHABLIS Les Clos 150cl 225.00 (211.00, 193.00, —)

The first two grand crus holding (price) station – but not the Clos! Considering that 2020 at all the Chablis domaines is sold out, and that most of the (short-vintage) 2021s are already reserved, these prices seem to exhibit quite some restraint!
*The prices are ‘delivered’ but will attract another 7.7% Swiss purchase tax.