*Available in OWC 1/6

The Wine Advocate | RP 92-94
Published: Jun 29, 2007

The Bouchard 2005 Chambertin Clos de Beze displays a classic aroma of this singularly great site: rose petal, licorice, black cherry, and beef stock. In the mouth it offers intensity along with lift and elegance, its tannins ultra-fine and its finish long, savory, and subtly salty, with deep fruit and carnality. This should cellar superbly for at least 12-15 years.

Managing director Stephane Follin and cellar master Philippe Prost preside over a remarkable new, gravity-fed winemaking facility capable of handling the fruits of Bouchard’s 130 hectares of vines – Burgundy’s largest estate (with 84 hectares in premier and grand crus alone) – not to mention the enormous range of wine from purchased fruit or wines. Fully 40% of the reds are vinified in open-top fermenters with manual punch-downs (the balance in a battery of roto-fermentors) and the system of traffic control alone that must be in place during crush is hard to imagine. The underground acreage devoted to barriques similarly defies imagination – until one sees it. Prost was very cautious with pigeage this year, but incorporated a significant percentage of whole clusters with stems in many of his better lots. A reputation for improved quality is being built here to which the results of 2005 will certainly contribute. I suspect that a number of the wines I tasted had not recovered from their recent bottling, hence the number of “+?”s one sees displayed following my scores. (Wines from the Domaine are designated D on the list above.)

Bouchard-pereetfils.com

The most prestigious Grand Cru in Gevrey-Chambertin is also one of the oldest walled vineyards in France. The famous "clos" was created in the 7th century by the monks from the abbey of Beze in the best situated place on their vast estate. In 1395, Philippe le Hardi decided to improve the quality of the wines and banned the gamay variety in favour of pinot noir on his land. Later, Chambertin Clos-de-B?ze shared the imperial crown with Chambertin: during his reign, Napoleon would drink no other wines.

TASTING NOTE: Intense and complex aromas on the nose. Structured - though not excessively - and with lovely fleshiness, this is a sumptuous wine with a great ageing potential.
FOOD/WINE PAIRING: Game, venison, full-flavoured cheeses.
SERVING TEMPERATURE: Between 17?C to 18?C
AGEING POTENTIAL: 10 years and more

HARVEST: manual, in small cases of 13 kg. Careful manual sorting of each grape.
VINIFICATION: Following total or partial destemming on the vintage, fermentation in small containers, gentle pressing ensure optimal vinification. Depending on the profile of the vintage, vatting lasts 18 to 21 days.
MATURING: 12 to 14 months in French oak, with 45 to 60% new oak.
AGEING: The cellars located in the Bastions of the ancient Ch?teau de Beaune offer ideal ambient conditions. Thanks to their natural hygrometry and constant temperatures, the Grands Crus enjoy from their first youth an environment that is perfectly adapted to tranquil ageing.

GRAPE VARIETY: Pinot Noir
EXPOSITION: East
SOIL OF THE APPELATION: Marly limestone and clay with crumbled rocks holding traces of potassium, iron and phosphorus
TOTAL SURFACE OF THE APPELATION IN PRODUCTION:14.4 hectares