2021 Clos Vougeot, Grand Cru, Domaine Bouchard Père & Fils, Burgundy

Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating, and at times infuriating, wine grape in the world. However when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape which grows in small, tight bunches performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone based subsoils as are found on Burgundy's Côte d'Or. Pinot Noir is more susceptible than other varieties to over cropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of the Côte d`Or.

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. Bouchard’s total holdings comprise 130 hectares, including 12ha of grand crus and 74ha of premier crus, which makes them the largest vineyard owners in the Côte d’Or (Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune). Bouchard have good holdings in the village of Monthélie, which lies just beyond Volnay and looks down over Meursault. The village is best known for its red wines, a little firmer in structure than Volnay and of particular interest in perfect summers when the grapes can ripen fully.