Bouchard & Fils @ Royal Canadian Yacht Club, April 17
Luc Bouchard of Bouchard & Fils.
In business - and run by the Bouchard family - since 1731, Bouchard & Fils is one of the finest and most reliable producers in Burgundy. They only do what they do best: chardonnay and pinot noir. To find out more about the company and its history, visit their website.
I wish I could say that they are not on the ball financially at Bouchard & Fils and that the best one is the cheapest, but I can't. There seems to me a pretty solid correlaton between price and quality...
All wines by Bouchard & Fils, and all are the 2006 vintage.
The White Burgundies
Bourgogne Les Coteaux de Moines. $29
Muted nose of white fruit. Smooth and fresh on the palace. Acidity is crisp and the fruit flavours are there, but muted on the palate. Elegant. 89 points.
Mersault Les Clos. $61
Lovely nose of floral and oaky notes. Super smooth and elegant on the palate. Very clean and with some minerality too. Acidity rises nicely towards the finish, which includes butterscotch. 93 points.
Mersault Les Gouttes D'Or. $114
Richer nose with light fruit and butterscotch. Very rich yet fresh on the palate. Smoky notes and butter and a super smooth fresh finish that just goes on. 94 points.
Mersault Genievrieres. $114
More muted nose with smoky oak dominating. Rich and smooth on the palate, which has more smoky notes over white fruit. Fuller body. Terrific lingering finish that stays fresh. 95 points
Mersault Perrieres. $117
Smooth and complex nose, mineral notes as well as oak inspired notes of butter and toast. Super smooth and elegant on the palate. Perfect acidity, incredible finish. 95 points.
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Corton-Charlemagne
One of the most famous white Burgundies, Corton-Charlemagne is "the best of the best" grand cru areas for chardonnay. Divided between the communes of Ladoix-Serrigny and Aloxe-Corton in the Cote de Beaune, there are a number of producers, and all of their wines are pricey. Bouchard's delivers both the high price and superb quality expected.
Corton-Charlemagne. $200
Super clean and fresh nose with lots of light white fruit aromas and maybe some honey notes too. Super smooth and medium-full on the palate with a sleek and delicate mix of flavours, including lemon and toast. Excellent lingering finish. I wrote "as good as it gets". 96 points
Montrachet
Another famous sub-district of Burgundy, Montrachet is also in the Cote de Beaune and is split into two areas - Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet. Hint: don't pronounce either "t". Bouchard's is from Puligny-Montrachet.
Chevalier-Montrachet. $394
Very rich yet fresh nose with muted floral notes as well. Fresh and punchy on the palate, even though the white fruit notes are very rich. There's some toast and butter in there too and the expected great, lengthy finish. 96 points.
The Red Burgundies
Bourgogne Les Couteaus des Moines. $29
Somewhat closed nose, but the rich red fruit is there, including cherries and cassis. Smooth and easy on the palate, the red fruit carries through, though again muted. Nice finish. 88 points.
Beaune Clos de la Mousse. $65
Very ripe nose with good red fruit and a slight animal note. Super smooth on the palate, which is full of fresh cherry fruit. Should become more complex as it ages Good finish. 91 points
Beaune Teurons. $64
Muted nose with dark red fruit and nice oaky notes evident. Super smooth on the palate, which is light even though the tannins are still high. Very muted and elegant red berry fruit, this one will get better as the tannins calm down. 92 points.
Volnay Caillerets. $96
Lovely pale ruby colour. Very fruity and spicy nose followed by lots and lots of dark red fruit on the palate. Acidity and tannins are both very high - and evident - so this one really isn't ready yet. It will age beautifully - hang on to it for three or more years and then try it. 93 points.
Volnay Clos de Chenes. $78
Rich nose of dark red fruit with some nice earthiness developing. Fresh on the palate, which is lightly fruity with lots of toasty, woody notes. Seriously nice finish that lingers. 94 points.
Gevrey-Chambertin. $62
Fresher and more intense nose of bright red fruit - there's even a slight candy note, which is usually bad, but which is good here. Earthy secondary notes are emerging nicely and acidity and tannins are still high - this will develop into a classic Burgundy pinot. Buy some and cellar it for a few years. 93 points.
Chambole-Musigny. $68
Super pale ruby colour. Quite fruity nose with little secondary development as yet. Super smooth and elegant on the palate, which is very fruity and has some spicy notes. Tannins and acidity still high, this is a terriic Burg that will age well. Loved this one and, relatively speaking, a bargain. 94 points.
Nuits -Saint-Georges Les Cailles. $126
The wistful memory of the lovely dinner at a cool yet "neighbourhood" restaurant in the 11th Arrondisement when it was just getting trendy, at which I first tasted a Nuits-Saint-George, means I pretty much love every wine from the commune. I loved M. Bouchard's effort too. Rich bold nose of dark red fruit with some nice secondary notes under. Richer than expected on the palate, where there's plenty more fruit and the secondary notes are just getting started. Acidity and tannins both high still, this one will be better in a few years. 93 points.
Clos-Vougeot. $210
Very elegantly pale ruby, which foreshadows the muted nose of lighter red fruit. There are already some earthy secondary notes under, but also muted. Acidity and tannins are high but balanced and there's smooth dark red fruit on the palate. Little secondary development yet, but this should be very fine indeed in a couple of years or more. Great finish. 94 points.
The wines of Bouchard Pere & Fils are distributed by Woodman Wines & Spirits. Call 416-767-5114 or visit their website.
