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Wine Description
The Story
From a .24 ha mix of terres rouges and terres blanches but with a bit more of the former. Copious wood influence all but drowns out the menthol and plum liqueur aromas. This is a big wine with exceptional richness, concentration and muscle where superb mid-palate density helps to persuade that the wood has a reasonably good chance of being successfully integrated over time.
Bouchard Père & Fils is an example of unique Burgundy heritage, offering great diversity and a raft of prestigious appellations: Montrachet, Corton-Charlemagne, Beaune Grèves Vignes de l’Enfant Jésus, Bonnes-Mares and Meursault Perrière - names that resonate with history, inspiring respect and encouraging the pursuit of excellence, with 4 monopolies and exclusivities among them. These remarkable parcels are meticulously tended by the teams who are responsible for the maintenance of the estate’s vines.
Today, Bouchard is one of the largest landowners in the Côte d’Or, with a comprehensive mosaic of vineyards in a wide variety of prestigious appellations. The domain runs to 130 hectares; 12 of which are classified Grand cru and 74 Premier cru. Bouchard Père & Fils maintain exacting standards in their vineyards all year round and the vigneron teams carefully manage the domain. Each parcel is supervised by a vineyard manager, and precise records are kept. Grapes are handpicked and collected in small 12kg crates to avoid crushing the berries. They are then taken to the Cuverie Saint Vincent where a final sorting is carried out. It is then the job of the winemaking team, headed by Frédéric Weber, to continue the process with the same dedication that has been used throughout the year.
Vintage 2019
“2019 is ‘the perfect storm’ of a vintage,” said Laurent Drouhin of top negociant house Drouhin, which owns vineyards in many parts of Burgundy. “We keep smiling because some wines will be great.” The mix included the hottest temperatures since the time of the Black Death 700 years ago (!), frost in April, rain in June, and no rain for nearly four months.
Drouhin’s harvest started on time on Sept. 13, and Laurent’s winemaking brother Frederic reports, “The first reds show an intense and beautiful color, good concentration, great balance and acidity and depth. The whites also show good richness with balance.” It’s a great year for reds, with slightly higher alcohol than usual.
The downside is very low yields. In just one April night, frost destroyed about 30% of the crop in Macon, though what’s left is making wines with good acidity and aromas.
Export company Le Serbet gathered reports from 65 producers in its portfolio, and head of marketing Peter Wasserman says the loss of grapes varies from vineyard to vineyard; in some places it may be as much as 50% to 60% lower than normal. Northern appellations such as Gevrey-Chambertin seem to have done best, down only 10%.
With less wine, you might predict even higher prices, but producers worry that this would drive away consumers.
