Bouchard Père et Fils, a highly-regarded producer in Burgundy, has established itself as a distinguished institution renowned for the exceptional quality of its wines and the diversity of its numerous vineyards. Among them is the Vigne de L'Enfants Jésus, whose name dates back to 1638 when Queen Anne of Austria gave birth to King Louis XIV.
It is said that Marguerite du Saint-Sacrement, the founding Carmelite of Domestiques de la Famille du Saint Enfant Jesus, predicted the birth of the long-awaited heir to the French throne, and the Camelite order celebrated by naming their prominent Beaune vineyard after him. The vineyard was once owned by the Carmelite order until the French Revolution, and Bouchard Père & Fils successfully bid for it in 1791 when all national property was sold.
It remains under their ownership today and is situated in the heart of the 32 hectares of the Beaune Grèves appellation, of which they still have the monopoly.
Rich intense powerful, lifted perfumed, some deep raspberry, typical character for this immaculate wine, with its superb velvet texture in the mouth, very long finish, and some gravelly notes through the middle to lift the deep sweet raspberry-strawberry fruit.
The 2019 Beaune 1er Cru Les Grèves Vigne de l'Enfant Jesus is showing beautifully, bursting from the glass with scents of raspberries, warm spices, plums, and incense. Medium to full-bodied, sumptuous, and enveloping, with an ample core of fruit and supple, melting tannins, it's immensely charming and gourmand. I can't remember an Enfant Jesus that tasted so good, so young.