I was at a Bouchard-hosted dinner here in the ATL last Fall at Umi Modern. Victor Pepin, Global Sales & Marketing Director for Bouchard hosted and confirms your news. We tasted Bouchard’s 22s which were easy to like and I had my “come to L’Enfant Jesus“ wake up call that sushi + Burgundy is a beautiful thing. Hallelujah.
Bouchard still has large and diverse domaine holdings even after letting go of their negociant wines. A flight towards quality I suppose they would say. (Map below)
IIRC, they had to give up Fevre Chablis in the financial maneuvering/restructuring. ITB folks, can you weigh in? Henriot acquired Bouchard in 1995, Artemis luxury brands partnered/acquired in 2022 apparently.
Fevre is a personal bright spot of affordability and reliable quality in Chablis for me, as is Bouchard’s Le Corton. I like Frédéric Weber‘s winemaking touch. We’ll see what happens to prices now, but surely they will go up. If Artemis pulls a Gouges gouge, I’m out.
Here are the Library releases we sampled:
LIBRARY OFFERING - REDS (packed 1 bottle, wax dipped in wooden box)
2005 Bouchard Pere & Fils Gevery-Chambertin 1er Cru “Les Cazetiers” -$275
2009 Bouchard Pere & Fils Chambertin Clos de Beze Grand Cru - $675
2011 Bouchard Pere & Fils Chambertin Grand Cru - $495
2000 Bouchard Pere & Fils Bonne-Mares Grand Cru - $595
I will search for my notes, but I remember these as more interesting then swoon-worthy. I liked them, but maybe not at that price. That said, I have the palate of a hamster and prefer younger wines with a little sensual primary fruit, so YMMV. If you like your wine older, they have an ocean of library releases to come, so stay tuned.
