The Bouchard Burgundy They Don't Want You to Know About.

Bouchard Père & Fils Beaune 1er Cru Les Greves 2018 Link to the wine: https://www.winex.com/bouchard-pere-fils-beaune-1er-cru-les-greves-2018.html There's Bouchard Père & Fils, the enormous Burgundy name that everyone recognizes, and then there's Domaine Bouchard Père & Fils, the wines produced from vineyards Bouchard actually owns and farms itself. That's an important distinction, especially in Beaune Grèves Premier Cru, where Bouchard owns more than six hectares. Within those holdings sits the roughly three-hectare parcel responsible for one of the Côte de Beaune's most famous red wines, Vigne de l'Enfant Jésus, a bottle that can command around $200. But Bouchard owns additional parcels within Beaune Grèves surrounding and adjoining those Enfant Jésus holdings, and that's where this 2018 Bouchard Père & Fils Beaune Grèves Premier Cru becomes so interesting. Same producer, same Premier Cru vineyard, same vintage, but roughly one-third the price. Beaune Grèves is prized for the unusually refined, elegant character its sandy soils can give Pinot Noir, and the 2018 captures exactly why this vineyard is so special. It's silky, satiny and beautifully spiced, with ripe, juicy fruit and an effortless texture, but underneath that generosity is enough structure to remind you why great Burgundy can age. And this isn't current-release Burgundy. It's 2018, already carrying meaningful bottle age from what Wine Advocate's William Kelley characterized as a remarkable, “1947-esque” vintage. At around $70, you're getting domaine-grown, Premier Cru Burgundy from arguably Beaune's greatest vineyard, from an excellent vintage, with years of bottle development already behind it. For Burgundy lovers, this is precisely the kind of overlooked bottle we're always hunting for.