2006 Beaune Clos de la Mousse
Market price
Buying options
Tasting notes
From their monopole south of Teurons, Bouchard's 2006 Beaune Clos de al Mousse displays herbal, bitter-sweet floral, and fungal aromas; comes to the palate with considerably subtlety and diversity of flavor as well as textural refinement; and offers a persistent, complex sense of interplay between chalky, herbal, floral, black fruit, fungal, and forest floor elements. I suspect this will be well worth following for half a dozen years. Director Philippe Prost emphasized the importance of flexible and surgical picking (with a crew numbering upwards of 300) and getting his crop to Bouchard's battery of presses within two hours via a fleet of mini-vans. He insists that relatively little triage was necessary on the domaine vineyards (as opposed to those under contract) and the estate wines are certainly predictably stronger as a group. (I have generally mentioned in the notes that follow which wines are from Bouchard's domaine and which from contract fruit, but have explicitly noted this as part of a wine's description, only if there are two versions of the same appellation within the present portfolio.) The fruit was crushed very gently and the wines racked only once – at 10-14 months, than usual – explains Prost, in order to guard against exposed or drying tannins, a policy which my tastings suggest was generally successful. Importer: Henriot, Inc, New York, NY; tel. (212) 605-6767
Critic scores
Average Score
David Schildknecht, Vinous
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Another of those wines with rather a fungal stink? Sweet fruit and not much real character. Very bitter finish. (JR)
Medium red with a pale rim. Began a bit mute on the nose, but more precise red fruit, floral and spice aromas emerged with aeration. Juicy and nicely delineated, offering sweet, suave fruit and spice flavors and finishing with a fine dusting of tannins and very good length.
Medium red. Redcurrant and leather aromas offer good lift. Supple on entry, then juicy and more closed than the Beaune du Chateau, with a trace of greenness and less flavor intensity. These vines are planted north-south and normally take longer to ripen, which may have resulted in a drier expression in a year like 2006. A bit muscular and dry on the back.
About the producer
Bouchard Père & Fils is one of Burgundy’s oldest and most established wine producers. Founded in 1731 by Michel Bouchard, it is the largest vineyard owner in the Côte d’Or with 130 hectares of vines.