2006 Bouchard Père & Fils Beaune Les Greves Vigne de l'Enfant Jesus 1er Cru

With the 2006 Beaune Greves L'Enfant Jesu – which, as usual Bouchard presents at the close of a tasting, after their grand crus – they certainly make a case for the superiority of these vines, if not for the enormous price differential vis-a-vis the other Beaune premier crus at this address. Seven parcels were tapped for this, and around 20% of the juice or young wine was declassified into the Beaune du Chateau. Imagine roasted, still bloody lamb seasoned with pungent herbs and accompanied by a tart compote of black fruits and you have the overall impression of this deeply rich cru with its persistent layering of flavors. I would expect it to reward 6-8 years of attention. 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