Bouchard Pere & Fils Chambolle Musigny Grand Vin De Bourgo 2019 (6x 750mL)

One of Beaune's large merchant houses (quite distinct from Bouchard Aîné), and the most important vineyard owner on Burgundy's Côte de Beaune. Based since 1731 in the 15th-century Ch de Beaune, a landmark in this medieval wine town, the house was established by Michel Bouchard, a Dauphiné textile merchant, and taken over in 1995 by Joseph Henriot of the eponymous champagne house who once ran veuve clicquot. By that stage the beleaguered ninth generation of Bouchards had vineyard land acquired over the centuries that totalled more than 90 ha/230 acres. Bouchard have holdings in 25 different Beaune vineyards, including their exclusivities Beaune-Grèves, Vigne de l'Enfant Jésus, and Beaune, Clos de la Mousse. They are also particularly proud of their 1.1-ha/2.7-acre holding in Le montrachet, their particularly significant share of Chevalier-Montrachet in their holding of 2.33 ha. In all, 71 of their 92 ha are in grands crus or premiers crus. In 1998, the Chablis firm William Fèvre was acquired and has been taken from strength to strength.

Wines from their own vineyards are undoubtedly Bouchard's best. For the much larger négociant business, the firm buys in considerable quantities of grapes (including all of those grown in the Clos-St-Marc premier cru in Nuits-St-Georges), must (notably in Chablis), and young wines for élevage in the medieval cellars on several levels below the Ch de Beaune. Under Henriot, even relatively inexpensive red wines have become noticeably deeper and more concentrated.