The Burgundian wine Domaine of Bouchard Pére et Fils can trace its origins back to 1731 though it is no longer family-owned. In 1995 the Champagne house, Joseph Henriot, acquired the company and quality has risen as a consequence. Today Bouchard is led by Stéphane Follin Arbelet while the wines are made by Philippe Prost who has been with the company since 1978. An impressive gravity-flow winery on the Route de Savigny, the Cuvérie St Vincent, was completed in 2005, enabling them, to process all their wines with optimum efficiency.
In the olden days, the vineyards of this great Meursault must have been surrounded by junipers whose name has lived on. This prestigious appellation was classified as a "Tête de cuvée" as early as 1855 by Dr. Lavalle in his renowned book "Histoire et Statistiques de la Vigne et des Grands Vins de la Côte-d'Or". At that time, the terms Premiers Crus and Grands Crus were not in use. Bouchard Père & Fils owns 2.65 hectares of Meursault Genevrières, often the first Chardonnays to be harvested on the estate.
This bottle is the standard 750ml. If you are looking for the Magnum 1.5L bottle, you can find it here.
Offering up notes of pear, white flowers, toasted almonds, and beeswax, Bouchard's 2019 Meursault 1er Cru Genevrières is medium to full-bodied, satiny, and chiselled, with a more tightly wound, introverted profile than the Charmes that preceded it. Built to age, this is a serious Genevrières that I look forward to tasting from the bottle.
A blend of two parcels, the 2019 Meursault Les Genevrières 1er Cru was the first to be picked by Bouchard in this appellation. The well-defined bouquet features touches of lemon thyme, walnut, and smoke. The palate is balanced with fine acidity, fresh and focused. The pretty, apricot-tinged finish fans out wonderfully and leaves residues of grilled almond and sesame on the aftertaste. Excellent.