Bouchard Père et Fils is quietly transforming the old Beaune estate to a part of Domaine Artemis under Frédéric Engerer.
Some red vineyards have already been moved to Domaine d’Eugénie … Bonnes Mares, Chambertin and Gevrey Cazetiers to mention a few …
So, the open question is … what is the future of the red Bouchard Père et Fils wines … clearly, the Côte de Nuits wines have ended up at Domaine d’Eugénie … but what about the red Corton?
Is this enough to continue with winemaker Frédéric Weber developing the style of the reds? Or do Artemis want to see further improvement on the reds?
To be brutally honest, the oak, or rather, the too-toasty-oak is somewhat too dominant for my palate in some of the 2023s. The vintage is more sensitive to this issue than the richer and riper 2022s, so, what worked in 2022 might not work as well in 2023. Furthermore, the toasty notes do not give me hedonistic joy or a need for a second glass!
The 2023 vintage does however have quite a dose of energy. Still, we have to say that reds at Bouchard do not necessarily produce the most extroverted and flamboyant reds – except for the Corton, perhaps, which always seem to shine.
We only tasted a small sample of the 2023 reds on this occation – so, I will only post notes on a few of these in this article. Bouchard Père et Fils got almost all the whites in rated in another article, and the Bonnes Mares was tasted at Domaine d’Eugénie.
Changes are already happening!
The red 2023 from Bouchard Père et Fils
Tasted in Beaune on November 15th 2024.
Bouchard Père et Fils Beaune Grèves 1er Cru Vigne de l’Enfant Jésus 2023
Ok … the elephant in the room … Beaune Grèves 1er Cru Vigne de l’Enfant Jésus or the notorious “Baby Jesus” is a wine that has disappointed me time and time again. Not a bad wine, but expectations are always too high in my view. Often, it has a slightly loose and unfocused core … and this does not appeal to me. But in 2023, Bouchard has produced a tremendous Beaune Grèves …. lively, focused and with a vivid core fruit that appeals to have another glass … and another. The complexity of the mid-palate fruit is very nice and impressive … unprecedented.
(Drink From 2034) – Very Fine – (93p) – 
Bouchard Père et Fils Volnay Caillerets 2023
The Volnay Caillerets has a good energy and liveliness. In my view, the oak is borderline, as it seems to add some dryness. Nevertheless, fruit is fresh and forward … it’s always a lovely wine … also in 2023. So, let me be generous with the hearts.
(Drink From 2034) – Fine – (92-93p) – 
Bouchard Père et Fils Corton 2023
The Corton is another bull’s eye in 2023 for Bouchard Père et Fils. The oak balance suits the Corton very well. The fruit and energy is tremendous and this is a lively Corton … coming from the top of the slope, it has the vividness and the freshness I love. Love the complexity and the vivid fruit … lively and balanced … one of the very best Corton terroirs in my view. See all the details about the plot here.
(Drink From 2040) – Outstanding – (95p) – 
I have decided to be a bit stricter in the selection of the wines. I will mainly focus on the emotional wines – i.e. wines with vin d’émotion qualities – one to three hearts. I focus primarily on wines with hedonistic quality and some wines tasted will not be included, others will only have the rating included. All this to focus on the best and most interesting wines.
- A potential vin d´émotion - frais et léger