Bouchard Pere et Fils Burgundy Wine Tasting

"The First Duty of wine is to be Red...the second is to be a Burgundy"
Harry Waugh

Ok- but we like the white wines of Burgundy also… and on Thursday, October 10th we have our annual Bouchard Pere et Fils wine tasting showcasing the 2022 vintage from one of our favorite producers of chardonnay and pinot noir on earth. 

Luc Bouchard has hosted several tastings throughout the years with us and so have other members of this landmark Burgundy house including winemaker for this famous property Frederic Weber and now that this incredible property has been sold to the Artémis Domaines we have our new friend Chris Lozano coming to conduct a tasting of older vintage wines from the cellars along with the newest release from Burgundy.

We also have the biggest offering we have ever put our on the newly released 2022 vintage and a lot of older vintage wines direct from the cellars in Beaune.

Toni will be making a few traditional Burgundian dishes to accompany the wines.  This is a sit down pre-poured event and we only have room for 18 tasters.  The fee for this event is $250 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

Bouchard Pere et Fils Burgundy Wine Tasting
Thursday, October 10, 2024
7:30 PM

1989 Bouchard Pere et Fils Volnay Caillerets 1er Cru
1993 Bouchard Pere et Fils Le Corton Grand Cru
2002 Bouchard Pere et Fils Le Corton Grand Cru
2009 Bouchard Pere et Fils Chambertin Clos de Beze Grand Cru
2012 Bouchard Pere et Fils Chambertin Clos de Beze  Grand Cru
2022 Bouchard Pere et Fils Volnay Caillerets 1er Cru
2022 Bouchard Pere et Fils Le Corton Grand Cru
2022 Bouchard Pere et Fils Chambertin Clos de Beze Grand Cru
2022 Bouchard Pere et Fils Beaune Clos St Landry Blanc 1er Cru
2022 Bouchard Pere et Fils Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru

Menu
Selection of Cheese and Charcuterie
Foie Gras Torchon with Grape Jelly and Brioche Toast
Beef Tartar Served Over Bone Marrow with Quail Egg
Deconstructed Coq Au vin
Cherry Tart with Brie

A Brief History of Bouchard Pere Et Fils

Founded in 1731, Bouchard Père & Fils now owns the most fabulous collection of famous vineyards, situated in the heart of the Côte d’Or, where the great wines of Burgundy are born.  Bouchard Pere et Fils owns 130 hectares in cotes d'or making them the largest landowner of classified vineyards with 12 different Grand Cru and 74 different Premier Cru vines with legendary names : Corton-Charlemagne, Clos Vougeot, Montrachet, Beaune Grèves Vigne de l’Enfant Jésus, Volnay Caillerets, Meursault Perrières, Nuits-Saint-Georges les Cailles, to name only a few.  The company trades from the old Château de Beaune, a fortress built in the 15th Century whose bastions with walls as thick as seven meters shield, in the best possible atmosphere, an unequalled collection of exceptional bottles.  Many of these are over a hundred years old and originated before phylloxera invaded the French vineyards. 

The cellars here were built under the reign of Louis the 11th during the 14th and 15th century.  They were built by one of the dukes of burgundy to store arms so they are unique as this was not intended to house wine bottles.  Louis the 16th gave this fortress to the town of Beaune and they were bought by the Bouchard Pere et Fils firm in 1820.  After the French revolution all property of the church was confiscated and sold at auction and it was at this time that Bouchard bought up a lot of vineyards for a very reasonable price.  Today if you were to put a price tag on the vineyards owned here it would be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.  The have the largest cellar in burgundy with 50,000 bottles of old vintages going back to 1846 Meursault Charmes.  They recork the bottles every 20-40 year, they are sleeping under 10 meters of earth and some of the walls of the cellar are 5-7 meters thick so the conditions are completely perfect and natural.  They are consistently 13-15 degrees Celsius and the humidity is 80-90 percent. 

You can see the old arms bins that now hold wine bottles here in the first picture.  The second picture shows where the three fake walls were placed during the German occupation of this region during WW2.  They have four fake walls constructed to conceal some of the oldest bottles from the Germans.  The third shot is a wall demonstrating just how thick the construction is.

In 1995, the Bouchard family passed the torch on to a very old Champagne family, the Henriots, who have carried on the strategy established by the Bouchards over nine generations. The Domaine expanded in the Côte de Nuits by acquiring parcels in two Grands Crus: "Bonnes Mares" and "Clos Vougeot". Then in 1996 they acquired further vineyards in Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru "Les Cazetiers".

Finally, in 2005, the Maison inaugurated its new "Saint-Vincent" winery and barrel cellar. The technical team took advantage of 275 years of savoir faire and several years of observation world-wide to carry out this work, so as to maximize the quality of its wines.  With this new winemaking facility, Bouchard Père & Fils is equipped to meet the challenge of the quest for excellence, without concession, in the production of the Grands Vins de Bourgogne.
 
Luc Bouchard hosted our group for the tasting at the winery and suggested a local restaurant, La Table de Guigone.  This place was very unassuming from the street but the food was divine like the combination of Foie Gras and Sweet breads in a salad format which was spectacular.  The leg of lamb was one of the best that I have ever had and the Beaune du Chateau wines that went with our meal were also incredible as this is one of the best value areas in Burgundy for both red and white. 

If you want to go there while in Burgundy we recommend making reservations as many restaurants in Burgundy are only open 4-5 nights a week- Bouchard Pere et Fils however is one of the easiest wineries to visit as they are open to the public nearly every day of the week and have cellar tours everyday as well in addition to over a dozen wines available for tasting at no charge!! I may have let the cat out of the bag, if you are in Beaune there is no excuse for not stopping by this famous producer and taste through their wines, they are one of the easiest places to tour and see in Burgundy and the wines are excellent.

2022 Bouchard Pere et Fils Offering

“The acquisition of this stalwart Burgundy merchant hit the headlines last year when it came under the umbrella of Artémis Domaines, joining fellow Burgundians Domaine d’Eugénie and Clos de Tart, as well as wineries elsewhere, such as Château Latour and Château Grillet. This inevitably led to a reorganization, the négociant activities almost immediately ceasing except for a handful of long-term contracts they will respect, including Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze. Winemaker Frédéric Weber informed me that the vineyards in the Côte de Nuits will transfer over to Domaine d’Eugénie, therefore making winemaker Michel Mallard a busier man. “It’s completely logical,” Weber explains. “It takes two hours to get to Chambertin by tractor. So, it is much better to vinify those wines much closer.” There are also rumors about Artémis selling some of the less propitious vineyards. Still, nothing is confirmed yet (though one winemaker told me he would love to farm them, representing some redistribution of land ownership between an international conglomerate and smaller winemakers priced out of expanding their acreage.) 
We then broached the vintage in question. “It was a warm and sunny year, warmer than 2020 and 2003, but the main factor was two spells of rain that arrived at the right moment. Winter had been drier than usual, but there was no frost damage. Spring came sooner and the vine growth was very quick. It was difficult during May and June, flowering early between May 20 and 25 in good conditions. There was no coulure. June started very warm. There was a big storm at the end of the month that saw 100-200mm of rain with some damage in Gevrey in terms of soil erosion. That was enough to avoid hydric stress, which we had in 2020. July was very hot and sunny with twice the sunshine hours. We did no de-leafing and sprayed white clay on the leaves to protect them. We did a green harvest, mainly on Pinot Noir, to create space between bunches. On August 19, a second storm of around 30mm of rain allowed the bunches to reach full maturity with good balance and increased tartaric acid. Harvest began in Volnay on August 26 and finished on September 10, stopping at 2 pm and using a cooling unit to keep the fruit at the right temperature. In three days, the alcohol levels in Volnay increased by 1.5%, so that was all picked on that first day. The Pinot Noir came in at 40hL/ ha, and for Chardonnay, it was 42hL/ha. I started the Chardonnay picking on August 29. Alcohol is around 13.5% with no acidification or chaptalization. The whites were pressed with whole clusters, being careful not to press too hard, fermented at 16° Celsius in stainless steel, then racked into barrel with the lees. I used SO2 for the first time one month after malolactic. Most cuvées will be bottled next spring.”  Vinous

2022 White Wines

2022 Bouchard Pere et Fils Beaune Clos St Landry Blanc 1er Cru
Price: $107.25                   Your Price: $94.38
2022 Bouchard Pere et Fils Beaune Clos St. Landry Blanc 1er Cru Magnum
Price: $229.50                   Your Price: $201.96
(89-91 Points) It has a well-defined nose of white peach, orange blossom and a hint of grilled almonds. The palate is well-balanced with a keen thread of acidity, fresh and saline with a bright and quite tensile finish. Enjoy this over the next decade. Vinous

2022 Bouchard Pere et Fils Meursault Les Clous
Price: $92.25                     Your Price: $81.18
(90-92 Points)  It has a slight reduction on the nose, making it difficult to read. The fresh palate has plenty of extract, orange pith, mandarin and light stem ginger touches, becoming quite waxy in texture the finish. With good weight and length, this is much better than previous vintage. Vinous

2022 Bouchard Pere et Fils Meursault Boucheres 1er Cru
Price: $135.00                   Your Price: $118.80
(90-92 Points) It has a fresh citrus-driven bouquet with Clementine and touches of quince. The palate is very well-defined with crisp acidity. It’s not amazingly complex per see, yet I appreciate the texture, with hints of almond and wild peaches towards the finish. Very fine. Vinous

2022 Bouchard Pere Et Fils Meursault 1er Porusot
Price: $135.00                   Your Price: $118.80
(91-93 Points) It is more backward on the nose, with touches of yellow flowers and jasmine. The palate is fresh and crisp, elegant in style with yellow plum, apricot and peach skin, refined and focused on the finish. Another very delicious Meursault from Bouchard Pere. Vinous

2022 Bouchard Pere et Fils Meursault Meursault Les Gouttes d'Or 1er Cru
Price: $144.75                   Your Price: $127.38
(92-94 Points) It shows a slight reduction on the nose. The palate is very focused and quite intense, good nervosité here, quite Charmes in style with a weighty, slightly honeyed finish that lingers in the mouth. This should age very well in bottle. Vinous

2022 Bouchard Pere et Fils Meursault Genevrieres 1er Cru 3 Liter
Price: $805.00                   Your Price: $708.40
2022 Bouchard Pere et Fils Meursault Genevrieres 1er Cru Magnum
Price: $366.00                   Your Price: $322.08
2022 Bouchard Pere et Fils Meursault Genevrieres 1er Cru
Price: $167.25                   Your Price: $147.18
(92-94 Points) It is slightly more closed on the nose than the Les Gouttes d’Or, revealing white peach and almond scents with time and a touch of grilled hazelnuts. The palate is well balanced with crisp acidity, taut and fresh, the saline finish lending tension. It needs time in bottle, but all the components are there. Vinous

2022 Bouchard Pere et Fils Meursault Perrieres 1er Cru
Price: $183.75                   Your Price: $161.70
(92-94 Points) It has a crisp, minerally bouquet with a clever reduction, just lending a bit of tension and bite. The well-balanced palate has good intensity, very linear and tensile, crushed stone infusing the slightly peachy fruit with a long tail on the finish. Excellent. Vinous

2022 Bouchard Pere et Fils Meursault Les Charmes 1er Cru
Price: $162.00                   Your Price: $142.56
(90-92 Points) It is the least engaging at the moment amongst Bouchard’s Meursaults, missing a bit of pizzazz. The palate is better with good weight and ample richness, though I must be prudent with my score because there feels like a shortfall in mineralité. Vinous

2022 Bouchard Pere et Fils Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru 3 Liter
Price: $1529.00                                Your Price: $1345.52
2022 Bouchard Pere Et Fils Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru Magnum
Price: $697.00                   Your Price: $613.36
2022 Bouchard Pere et Fils Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru
Price: $319.00                   Your Price: $280.72
(91-93 Points) It has a taut and precise nose – quit a “cool” bouquet with apple blossom and hints of peach skin. The well-balanced palate offers mango and pineapple notes, betraying the warmth of the summer, compensated by a silver bead of acidity and a slightly peach, seductive finish. It will drink well for 15-20 years. Vinous

2022 Bouchard Pere et Fils Chevalier Montrachet Grand Cru Magnum
Price: $1500.00                                Your Price: $1320.00
2022 Bouchard Pere & Fils Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru
Price: $681.75                   Your Price: $599.94
(95-97 Points) It is often one of Bouchard Père’s strongest cards. It delivers a beautifully defined bouquet with crushed limestone and yellow fruit shimmering with tension. The palate is medium bodied with a fine bead of acidity, taut and fresh with a linear, sapid finish. Sophisticated and long-term. Vinous

2022 BOUCHARD PERE ET FILS CHEVALIER MONTRACHET La Cabotte GRAND CRU
Price: $1085.00                                Your Price: $954.80
(93-95 Points) It has a vivid nose, tensile with crushed rock and yellow fruit, perhaps a little more austere than the regular Chevalier. The palate is well-balanced and shows more concentration, but maybe at the cost of mineralité on the sun-kissed finish. Still, this is a very fine Chevalier. Vinous

2022 Bouchard Pere et Fils Montrachet Grand Cru Magnum
Price: $3115.00                                Your Price: $2741.20
2022 Bouchard Pere et Fils Montrachet Grand Cru
Price: $1415.50                                Your Price: $1245.64
(93-95 Points) It has a fresh, Granny Smith apple and sea spray-scented bouquet that gradually unfurls. The palate is well-balanced and vibrant, with superb weight, a taut line of acidity, and touches of orange pith and wild peach towards the finish. Excellent… but maybe I prefer the 2021?

2022 Bouchard Pere et Fils Volnay Caillerets Ancienne Cuvee Carnot 1er Cru 3 Liter
Price: $605.00                   Your Price: $532.40
2022 Bouchard Pere et Fils Volnay Caillerets Ancienne Cuvee Carnot 1er Cru Magnum
Price: $276.00                   Your Price: $242.88
2022 Bouchard Pere et Fils Volnay Caillerets Ancienne Cuvee Carnot 1er Cru
Price: $125.00                   Your Price: $110.00
(90-92 Points) It has a nicely detailed bouquet with black cherries, raspberry coulis, wild mint and a touch of dark chocolate emerging with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins and modest weight, very nicely balanced with a smooth, coca-tinged finish. It will need 4-5 years to absorbed the 30% new oak. Vinous

2022 Bouchard Pere & Fils Savigny les Beaune
Price: $48.00                     Your Price: $42.24

2022 Bouchard Pere et Fils Savigny Les Beaune Les Lavieres Magnum
Price: $146.25                   Your Price: $128.70
2022 Bouchard Pere et Fils Savigny Les Beaune Les Lavieres
Price: $66.50                     Your Price: $58.52
(88-90 Points) It has a perfumed bouquet with lavender-tinged black fruit, the oak nicely integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins, well-balanced with slight confit-like fruit towards the finish. Drink over the next decade. Vinous

2022 Bouchard Pere & Fils Beaune Clos De La Mousse 1er Cru
Price: $95.75                     Your Price: $84.26
(90-92 Points) It comes from more clayey soils that obviate hydric stress. Very floral on the nose, I appreciate the purity of fruit: lovely red cherries and crushed strawberries, more Pinoté than Les Teurons. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins, quite sweet and a little confit-like but with fine structure towards the finish. It just needs a couple of years to absorb the new oak. Very fine.  Vinous

2022 Bouchard Pere and Fils Beaune Teurons 1er Cru
Price: $75.00                     Your Price: $66.00
(89-91 Points) The first to be picked within the appellation, offers red fruit and a touch geranium on the nose, discrete at first then opening nicely in the glass. The medium-bodied palate has fine tannins and black cherries mixed with light tarry, graphite notes, finishing with a hint of dryness. Fine. Vinous

2022 Bouchard Pere et Fils Beaune Grèves L'Enfant Jésus 1er Cru 3 Liter
Price: $995.00                   Your Price: $875.60
2022 Bouchard Pere & Fils Beaune Greves Vignes de L'Enfant Jesus Beaune 1er Cru Magnum
Price: $455.00                   Your Price: $400.40
2022 Bouchard Pere et Fils Beaune Grèves L'Enfant Jésus 1er Cru
Price: $206.25                   Your Price: $181.50
(93-95 Points) It has a clean and fresh nose of maraschino cherries, candied orange peel and crushed stone.  The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins and gentle grip, slightly powdery in texture.  The attractive, mocha-tinged finish lingers in the mouth. This will drink very well after 5-7 years. Vinous

2022 Bouchard Pere & Fils Vosne Romanee
Price: $95.25                     Your Price: $83.82
(93-95 Points) It comes from the upper part of the vineyard. It has an attractive bouquet with blueberry and black plum mixed with violet that soars from the glass. Fine Delineation. The palate is well balanced with a fine structure, the tannins chiseled, and the fruit very pure and caressing towards the finish. This fans out gloriously and is recommended. Vinous

2022 Bouchard Pere et Fils Le Corton Grand Cru Magnum
Price: $450.00                   Your Price: $396.00
2022 Bouchard Pere et Fils Le Corton Grand Cru
Price: $180.00                   Your Price: $158.40
(92-94 Points) It comes from vines at higher altitude. It has a well-defined and precise bouquet, the altitude imparting more freshness than some of the other red cuvées this year. The medium-bodied palate has supple tannings and a mixture of red and black fruit, white pepper and clove, leading to a refined and persistent finish. Excellent. Vinous

2022 Bouchard Pere et Fils Echezeaux En Orveaux Grand Cru
Price: $450.00                   Your Price: $396.00
(93-95 Points) It has a discrete bouquet that demands more coaxing than the Clos Vougeot. There is fine delineation here with attractive, pure red cherries and wild strawberry fruit. The palate is framed by filigree tannins, bright and sapid. Died orange peel and black pepper suffuse the red fruit, the vibrant finish is quite persistent. This is a classy Echezeaux. Vinous

2022 Bouchard Pere et Fils Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Price: $717.00                   Your Price: $630.96
(91-93 Points) It comes from Chambolle side, though my sample only came from the red clay soils. The very opulent bouquet offers lashings of blueberry and cassis fruit laced with violets. The palate is medium-bodied with pliant tannins framing quite concentrated black fruit. It is harmonious in texture with fine acidity; it just needs more complexity and nuance on the finish. Vinous

2022 Bouchard Pere & Fils Chambertin Grand Cru
Price: $717.00                   Your Price: $630.96
(92-94 Points) It displays more red fruit on the nose than the Clos de Bèze, hence more Pinot Noir expression. It has a lovely definition with seamlessly integrated oak. The palate is medium-bodied with fine yet sturdy tannins that exert some grip. Layers of quite ripe blackberry and wild strawberry fruit, a “solid” Chambertin that needs a little more nerve and tension on the finish. Vinous

2022 BOUCHARD PERE ET FILS CHAMBERTIN CLOS DE BEZE GRAND CRU
Price: $595.00                   Your Price: $523.60
(93-95 Points) It comes from purchased grapes, though Bouchard directs the harvest. It feels slightly closed on the nose despite coaxing, revealing brambly red fruit, blueberry and a light marine influence with time. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannins. This is well-balanced with ample freshness. It is structured but retains sufficient elegance and refinement on the finish.  Excellent – but be patient. This fans out gloriously and is recommended.  Vinous