Bouchard Père & Fils: mainly 09s

Some Washington D.C. based wine lovers gathered at Lavandou last month - 16 January - to taste a series of wines from the great Bouchard Père & Fils producer in Beaune. We were a mix that included sommeliers and merchants, but mainly wine geeks.

Thanks to owner Henriot, we were able to sample several bottles from the 2009 vintage, which is not without some controversy. In spite of rather splendid weather, some naysayers claim that it was too sunny for Pinot Noir. That journalists and wine hacks like yours truly hyped it up far too much for its own good. When I reply that it is easier to find 2008s than 2009s, these same people say that it is the fault of the hypers.

Whatever the case may be, the 2009s I have tasted so far have been on a general level very delicious. Will they last as long as the more structured but also quite ripe 2005s? Probably not. Can they be a bit jammy? A bit rich? Sure. That may turn off some traditionalists. But consider this: given a basic Burgundy or even a village level wine, I’ll generally take the 2009 over the 2008, because the 2009 will have more ripe fruit. When it comes to certain premiers and grands crus from top producers, I can see why there is a discussion, why some could prefer 2008 (or 2010 for that matter) over 2009, as can I.

Participants also brought other fine wines, including other vintages of Bouchard, but also some fine bubblies and sweet wines for example.

Let’s get to the wines…

Champagne

Pierre Gimonnet 2002 ‘Special Club’ Champagne. A superb blanc de blancs Champagne that apparently comes from a special cuvee – the Special Club – that is bottled by other Champagne houses, but the aging is different according to the house. This was aged 8 years on its dead lees before disgorgement. Its 6 grams of sugar per liter is very well integrated. Smooth and dry and rather seamless on the palate. Fresh and mineral like with citrus aspects as well as red apple. Lingering finish. A Champagne to seek.

Bertrand-Delespierre Champagne Brut Premier Cru 2002. This is a Dan Kravitz selection, and a good one, too. I have met Dan and he is very careful about what he buys. Much fruit and richness here, but leaves the impression of being a bit less Brut when compared to the Gimonnet bottle, which I preferred.

Whites - Bouchard

Meursault Les Clous 2009
Pouilly Fuisse 2009
Clos St. Landry 2009

Overall the whites were better than expected, given the relatively warm vintage, but they perhaps lacked the precision of the 2008 vintage. Still, I was rather pleased particularly with the Bouchard Pouilly Fuisse 2009, which displayed fine ripeness and good backbone. The Meursault Les Clous 2009, a wine I had often served while being a sommelier on Nantucket Island’s Chanticleer Restaurant in ‘Sconset, did not disappoint, exhibiting ripe red apple and a certain richness, while the Clos St Landry proved to be a touch thick, but perhaps will resolve itself with time in bottle.

Whites - Pair of Germans and a Puligny Montrachet

Dr. H. Thanisch Bernkasteler Badstube Riesling Spätlese 2001. This was an absolutly lovely wine, clean and fresh, just a hint of sweetness, displaying fruit and almond flavors. With so much acidity that the residual sugar is very well balanced. 8.5% alcohol.

Schloss Schönborn Hochheimer Hölle Riesling 1991. Some liked this more than I did. There was a bit of band-aid that blew off, and then more subtle flavors came to the fore. Fine.

Etienne Sauzet Puligny Montrachet Champenot 1er Cru 1995. Served quite cold, so that the bit of heat was rather masked, this wine conveyed lovely herbal notes and a fine richness. Somewhat abrupt on the finish.

The reds of Bouchard: the main event

I had enjoyed the Bouchard Père & Fils Monthelie Les Durreses 2009 over dinner with a couple of friends recently and it proved delicious and decadent, with very ripe fruit expressions. It was ripe and smooth at this tasting as well, although some tasters found it a bit too jammy.

The Bouchard Père & Fils Beaune du Chateau Rouge 2009 proved itself yet again, and it seemed to exude greater balance, displaying also some crackly red fruit as well as darker hues, and a very smooth palate. I recall enjoying the 2008 tasted at the château but here is an example where the 2009 is just a better wine, more complete and coming across as more fruitfully balanced.

The Bouchard Père & Fils Beaune Clos de Mousse 2009 displayed ripe black and red cherry aromas with richness, and yet an Old World freshness, too, reflected in the palate. A pleasurable wine.

The Bouchard Père & Fils Volnay Clos des Chenes 2009 proved a clear step up aromatically, with an added dimension of floral aromatics albeit with just a slightly rich and heady aspect. A very pretty nose, with a bit of vanilla on the finish. Perhaps still coming from the elevage?

Mini vertical: Bouchard Père & Fils Volnay Les Caillerets

  1. Fine nose of red and ripe berries, although just a touch stolid, slightly monolithic overall, but it may have been – as fellow taster Ken Brown had suggested – the wrong time to try this vintage.

The 2002 conveyed much more sap and fresh acidity, quite balanced in its expression of warmth and verve. Also rather precise, it was my clear preference among the three Les Caillerets we enjoyed over dinner.

  1. Some found greater depth here than with the 2002, and although the palate was indeed medium plus intensity, the 1998 was not – to me at least – nearly as charming or as pretty as the 2002.

Two more 09s

The Bouchard Père & Fils Le Corton 2009 exuded precise notes of sweet red cherry and yet was buoyed by plentiful – and smooth – tannins. One participant suggested that this may not be a long distance runner, but I think that was a minority opinion. Along with other tasters, including fellow wine blogger Kevin Shin, I get the impression that this wine will be open for a while and it includes the stuffing to last many years. Bouchard winemaking director Philippe Prost compared this to the 1959 vintage… Considering how good the 1959 tasted over dinner in Beaune with Philippe a couple of years ago, this is no small praise.

Finally, the Bouchard Père & Fils Vigne de l’Enfant Jesus 2009, coming from magnum, thanks to Calvert Woodley, seemed to convey more foreboding tannin than the Le Corton, and was not quite as remarkable, to me at least, but it certainly displayed a very smooth texture and much depth of flavor. Perhaps just not quite as precise as Le Corton?

End game: Sauternes and Auslese

JJ Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese 2001
JJ Prüm Wehlener Sonnenuhr Auslese 1988

Two superb German later harvest wines. While the 1988 was at least very good, the 2001 was nothing short of magnificent, very lively with grapefruit like freshness and youthful in aspect in spite of over 10 years of age. The 1988 was also quite youthful for its age, but not quite as dynamic on the palate.

Château de Fargues Sauternes 2003. An excellent and rich Sauternes. Coming from a rather cold soil, this estate was well suited to the vintage.

All in a all, a great event and chance to ascertain the quality not only of the 2009 vintage across various appellations but also that of Bouchard Père & Fils. Thanks again to Henriot for the samples. And to the participants, and of course to Lavandou, for providing once again, wine friendly service in a lovely atmosphere.

Completely agree, Panos - when I clicked on the thread I had the '09 Corton, the '02 Caillerets, and the Gimmonet in mind. Those really stood out to me as wines to be tracked down at the price. I think I liked the Baby Jesus a little more than you did, but I’d put it first of the second tier rather than last of the first.

Thanks for getting us organized; it was an excellent event.

Thanks for the notes. I think their Corton is one of their better red wines and can usually be found for a pretty good price. I found a bunch of 05s a year or so ago for $50 in a closeout deal.

I was lucky enough to be invited to this tasting, somewhat of a ritual in DC although not every year. The first such tasting I recall was for the '03 vintage at a long since closed restaurant on Capitol Hill. As I recall from that evening the '03 L’enfant Jesus was really singing that night, and the surprise pairing wonder of the night was a Chablis with a rabbit soup roughly styled after a french onion soup, but with only a few onions… Remarkable pairing that, and a great evening gone by… As such I was thrilled to be invited again when Panos called us together to check in on Bouchard’s '09s.


As a starter, we were blessed by a lovely young lady’s contribution of the 2002 Pierre Gimmonet Special Club. I wouldn’t put this in the same class as the best tete du cuvees from the top big houses, but this was no slacker. The extended lees aging was apparent as this exuded a nice bead of bready goodness. It had really nice punched up acidity and showed the crisp apples of a nice BdB with a nice lingering finish. Lovely stuff and a good way to start the evening.

In general, I was less than impressed by the whites as '09 just doesn’t seem to achieve the piercing acidity I so love in good vintages of White Burgundy but there were a couple nice drinks for the tariff. For the money, I didn’t have many qualms with the Pouilly Fuisse, but then again this was never destined to be a world beater. Well made, crisp, and ripe, I would happily drink this with an simple unameliorated crabcake or some light fare.

The Meursault Les Clous was a bit rich and ripe, a bit reminiscent of the '06 vintage. Good, but not great. The type of wine that I would hesitate to buy except on close out for early drinking, but one that could possibly surprise in the midterm. The big issue was lack of cut and definition. It was a bit fat and ripe, but pleasant at the same time.

The unpleasant surprise was the Clos St Landry. This wine was a bit of an unbalanced mess as I recall. Really lacking acidity and showing a bit of alcohol, the flavors were very muddled and I just didn;t like this one particularly much.

A shame we couldn’t try something with a bit of a better pedigree for the whites, as I really like what Bouchard has done recently with a lot of their better crus.

Not a big fan of German Rieslings and this was a while ago, so no comment on the other whites, except that the Rieslings were actually very nice as I recall despite my general apathy to their ilk. Sauzet was alive, but unfortunately not inspiring is all I recall on that.

As for the reds, I liked them as a whole and I continue to really like the '09s at the lower level when young. Ripe and pure is a common thread. With the higher end '09s, it remains to be seen for this vintage as I think a few really hit it out of the park, and some are less than they seemingly should be, but than again this isn’t another '05 as it was hyped by some early on.

The Monthelie Les Durreses didn’t stand out initially- in fact my original opinion was that this was correct if a bit grapey and jammy, but not inspiring. Going back to it later I enjoyed a taste in the latter part of the evening. So judgement reserved- maybe it was better, maybe just everything was starting to taste better lol.

The Beaune du Chateau was really quite good for what it is, as it seemingly always is. I don;t think I have ever had a bottle of this that doesn’t make me happy at the price point. Not a blockbuster, not incredibly complex at all, but well made and a really tasty wine to enjoy now or in 10+ years.

Having a lot of trouble recalling the Clos de Mousse at this point. It didn’t stand out as good or bad, and generally I liked all the '09 reds. If nothing else, a good one to drink if you like young approachable red Burgundy.

I did like the Clos De Chenes. Perhaps a touch too much oak at this point, but it is an elegant, pretty wine that shows it’s terroir. As Panos noted, nice nose, and the class of the field to this point. Pretty sure this will be a positive to any who cellar it for a few years.

Really enjoyed the Caillerets mini-vertical as we got to drink some wine that was a bit more mature. 98 vs 02 was a tough call. The 02 was much more elegant and perhaps complex, but the 98 had more depth and a much more powerful finish. Side by side, I gravitated to the 98, but I would like to taste both again in 5-10 years. Both winners to have in the cellar. The '06 , hard to say, it needs time.

The '09 Corton was the most complete wine of the '09’s and maybe the WOTN. I think this really has all the components and the stuffing to go the distance and be a great wine. It overshadowed the L’Enfant Jesus a bit, which is a really nice wine in it’s own right.

Perhaps some more thoughts on the last two later, but way past my bedtime.

Thanks again Panos!

Panos, are you saying that the various “Special Club” Champagnes all come from a common pool of base wine, with various growers each contributing to the pool and drawing from the pool? That would be a new twist I had not heard before. I had understood that various growers had agreed that the Special Club designation would be reserved for what they regard as their very best wine, but thought each grew their own.

Panos,
Thanks for the great notes. I was very happy with how all Bouchard wines showed, very fresh, pure and approachable. The great thing about the 09 is that the wines are great from the top to bottom. The Monthelie, Beaunes and Volnay were all delicious. The mini vertical of Volnay Les Caillerets was fun, the 02 and the 98 were drinking beautifully. The corton was a winner. It was a great evening and my sincere gratitude to Bouchard and Panos.

Unfortunately, I was unable to make it to this dinner. It seemed like when Panos was in town in December and January there was an offline scheduled every other night. Could not be at all of them - saved myself for the 1982 Bordeauxs and the 1971 Richeboug. [dance-clap.gif]

I am a fan of Bouchard’s wines and think a number of them provide excellent value. This one especially. Year in and year out it seems to be around $30 or so and is a great value. Good to see that the 2009 keeps up this tradition of excellence.

Has anyone tried the 2005 Beaune du Chateau lately?

Thanks Lewis for your question. No, I was incorrect in the explanation. Here from the website of the Special Club, which in fact exists since 1971.

Champagne’s Special Club is a unique collection of 26 Grower-Producers who all have the common goal of promoting the expression of terroir in the region.

The Special Club or Club Trésors de Champagne (Treasures of Champagne) was created in 1971. The rules for membership are simple: one must grow their own grapes. All members must be legally designated as Récoltant-Manipulants.
The wines are all put in the same unique bottle, regardless of producer, but each wine maker gets to put their own label on the bottle.
The wines all taste different from each other because they come from different villages/grapes, but they all have a commonality of being extraordinary.

How do they decide what wines go into the Special Club bottle?

The Special Club bottling is supposed to represent a grower’s best offering. Each year the members of the club meet and taste each other’s vin claire (still base wine) to see if it is up to quality standards.

A member is not required to submit wine ever year, only when they think they’ve made something spectacular; in 2003 no Special Club wines were made. [cheers.gif]

Once the Club has agreed that the base wine is of sufficient quality, the grower is then permitted to put the wine in the Special Club bottle and induce the second fermentation.

After a minimum of 3 years of aging, the wine may be disgorged and tasted a second time by the Club. If the Club approves of the finished product, it may be labeled and sold as a Special Club wine.

So each Champagne house can then age it for different periods.

Terry Theise had this to say about the Pierre Gimonnet '02 ‘Special Club’:
Pierre Gimonnet, ‘Special Club de Collection’ Brut, 2002
Gimonnet represents the terroir of the northern half of the Côte des Blancs with this offering. The wine is comprised of strictly Chardonnay from 54% Cramant (Grand Cru), 31% Chouilly (Grand Cru), and 15% Cuis (Premier Cru).
The base wine was fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel and put under malolactic fermentation.
The wine is finished with a dosage of 6 g/Liter after 8 years en tirage.

The dosage was really perfect, one had a wonderful sense of Brut, here, very balanced. I want to get some now here in France…

To be fair to Panos, the explanation given by the person who brought the bottle was as Panos described. He just took it as relayed to him and posted it. In most cases with our group, people with back info normally have it correct, so normally that is a safe proposition. I had no idea, so I just assumed that it was correct as well fwiw. At the time, I did kind of wonder about that as it seemed a bit odd, but then the serious business of tasting Burgundy started, so I never gave it another thought until now. Most likely, the person who sold the bottle to the owner relayed some incorrect info or something was lost in translation, as it was a currently working sommelier who offered it. Anyway, it was really a nice bottle and enjoyed by all.

Unfortunately no. I blew through 2 cases of the '02 and a case of the '05 rather quickly before I found better cellar defenders as they were really both delicious when young. Really wish I had a 6’er of both left right now, but not too many regrets as i never had a bad bottle of either. That said, I would be stating to try the '02s right now and letting the '05s rest if I still owned some. Hard to say no when you have a really delicious bottle of wine that is less than $30. Except for a handful of SLB 1’ers that I have buried deep and a bunch of '07 Jadot closeouts that I bought for a song and then promptly buried under a really large heavy stack, I really struggle to keep anything good and inexpensive that is red and Burgundy for long. Once my current wine buying hiatus imposed by impending wedding is over, I vow to just buy 2 cases of each such wine and then bury one deep. More you have, easier it is to locate it where it is hard to get(once you have the gumption to move 10-15 cases to properly bury it of course)! The '07 Jadots- many are really delicious, so that is even difficult, but it is easier as I am not buying now and I fear waking up in the fall with a cellar half the current size. It is bad- I have taken to drinking supermarket wine on occasion when I can’t find a great deal or closeout for everyday- woe is me.

This is why God invented Jadot and Drouhin regional Beaujolais.

Those would comprise most of the supermarket wines I mentioned… That said, laziness is my Achilles heel. Don’t feel like going to the store, so pick the lowest hanging inexpensive fruit in cellar. Repeat a few time over a couple years, and Au revoir case of Beaune de Chateau. I am getting much better over time as I realize how much I like wines like this with a few years, but it is always a battle. Plus the other half likes a glass most nights, so we open at least one bottle at least 4 times a week on average I would say. At that rate of consumption, you have to buy a lot of damn wine to keep accumulating…

Great notes Panos and thanks so much to you and Bouchard for putting this extraordinary evening together. I agree with many of the general assessments asserted by others. Specifically, the whites were a touch disappointing. They were generous but lacked acidity and were a touch flabby. The reds showed great quality from top to bottom. The Monthelie was a on the slutty side but I like that. I preferred the 98 Caillerets to the 02 which makes sense based on my preference for the slutty Monthelie. For current drinking the 98 Caillerets was my favorite of the night. Le Corton has all the makings of a great wine but is still young and a bit awkward needs time to show its true self.

Ken,

What ever happened to our Beaujolais offline?

Why don’t we make the April tasting Beaujolais with a focus on '09?

I opened a 2005 last night, a pop and pour consumed over about five hours, and it definitely needs time but shows a lot of future promise. It’s not in a great place right now, and I don’t think it closely resembles the 2002 (which to my recollection was a bit more user friendly and consistently drank very well for years after release).

Since my last bottle of the 2005 about four years ago, the color has evolved slightly with the development of an orange rim. On the nose and palate, the oak (seeming a little bit rough and raw) was at the forefront, with the fruit having receded with the loss of its baby fat. There is plenty of underlying depth and concentration and the acidity levels are moderately high and the wine is undoubtedly very fresh and lively as a result. It is not shut down, but it still needs a few years for the oak to better integrate and more secondary nuances to develop. I think it has plenty of stuffing to show very nicely in three or four more years and will probably still be going strong for ten or more years after that. As an aside, with the last small glass, at about the five hour mark, the oak began to recede, the wine tightened up, and understated stony cherry pit flavors moved to the forefront. I suspect it may have been starting to shut down, but who knows. That’s the wonder of burgundy, even a modest beaune like this one.

I don’t think of Beaune premier cru as being a modest wine. Premier crus from Beaune have a very long history of aging extremely well and becoming outstanding with time. The fact that these wines can be incredibly underpriced does not make the wines modest, other than in price.

Yeah, got that solved.

Thoughts on the Jadot Beaune 150th? I generally like Jadot as a producer and have liked what I tasted, so I’m pretty tempted to go deep. However, I recognize and defer to the superior crusty “get off my lawn” credentials of the Howards and Maureens of the world.

Seeing that Champagne Pierre Gimonnnet came up in the conversation I thought you might be interested to meet Didier Gimonnet in this short video

Didier isn’t talking about his Special Club but in this video he explains his approach to using reserve wines which is one of the secrets to the style of champagne the produces

If you find this video useful, please let me know. I have many others on Pierre Gimonnet and lots of other lesser-known champagnes

Jiles