By Raymond Chan
The 2005 and 2006 wines from Bouchard Aine continue to impress us with the strides in quality made under the Boisset ownership. This tasting gave us the opportunity of previewing the more serious 2006 wines yet to come from the more illustrious producers, as well as consolidating our views of the 2005s. It also allowed us to have a good look at the better value wines from the lesser appellations, such as Santenay and Savigny-les-Beaune, as well as some from the top flight sites. It must be said that we were very pleased with the wines from Bouchard Aine as a producer of excellent, modern and well-made wine, especially under their ‘Signature Reserve' label. Here's what we found:
The Outlying Appellations
First up was a pair of 2006 wines from the minor appellations. The 2006 Bouchard Aine Mercurey 1er ‘Clos L'Eveque' (17.0+/20) from the Cote Chalonnaise was well-lifted with primary floral characters and fine tannin grip. More structured, with riper fruit and tannins was the grunty 2006 Bouchard Aine Santenay 1er ‘Clos Rousseau' (17.0-/20), with its earthier notes, oakier presence and more serious grip.
The minor appellations were explored further with wines from the 2005 and 2004 vintages. A 2004 Bouchard Aine Monthelie 1er ‘Mieux Bataille' (17.0+/20) displayed the typical 2004 traits of cooler strawberry, hay and undergrowth flavours, a little herbal, yet it retained presence, vinosity and freshness. The 2005 Bouchard Aine Santenay 1er ‘Clos Rousseau' (17.0/20) shared the same tannic structure and dusty, earthy notes of the 2006 in the earlier flight, but seemed a touch richer, no doubt an expression of the vintage. Showing more fruit aromas and flavours, the 2006 Bouchard Aine Fixin ‘Maziere' (17.0+/20) demonstrated its northerly origins with its meaty game characters. Ripe dark fruits, savoury and sour nuances on a linear palate here.
Savigny-les-Beaune and Beaune
The pairing of the 2006 and 2005 Savigny-les-Beaune wines gave a direct comparison of the two vintages across the same vineyard. The 2005 Bouchard Aine Savigny-les-Beaune 1er ‘Peuillets' (17.5+/20) was dense with soft red fruits and well-proportioned in tannin and structure. Still full and dense, this was well-liked. The 2006 Bouchard Aine Savigny-les-Beaune 1er ‘Peuillets' (16.5/20) while brighter, juicier and more lifted show animal and horsey nuances, indicating the presence of brett. In any circumstance, the 2006, while more primary, was lighter in weight.
The most complex flighting was that of the three Beaune premier cru wines. Here we saw the quality of the 2005 vintage, with fine and rich fruit and balanced textures and grip. The 2006 Bouchard Aine Beaune 1er ‘Marconnets' (18.0-/20) was typically strawberryish, supple and plump, with a softness and evenness. A little earthy note adding interest. Lighter garnet hues gave away the vintage of the 2005 Bouchard Aine Beaune 1er ‘Clos du Rois' (17.5+/20). It too was attractively juicy and supple, vibrant with its sweet fruit. Overall just a little less drive and depth, possibly demonstrating the vineyard's position downslope to Marconnets, but it's all relative, anyway! The best of the trio was the 2005 Bouchard Aine Beaune 1er ‘Marconnets' (18.5-/20). Darker, riper, more powerful, more plump and generous. A wine showing a touch of class with its fine classic Cote de Beaune flavours and no coarse textures. Delicious stuff!
Major Premier Cru and Grand Cru
A seemingly simple test – to identify a Cote de Beaune wine from a Cote de Nuits wine – was not as simple as it sounded. The Beaune wines are characterized by their soft red fruits, soft textures and accessibility. The Nuits by their darker fruits, firmer tannins and longevity. The 2005 Bouchard Aine Nuits-St-Georges 1er ‘Chaboeufs' (18.5-/20) possessed classic cherry-berry fruit and vibrancy. Elegant and fine-grained, this had lovely concentration, cut and finesse. The 2005 Bouchard Aine Pommard 1er ‘Charmots' (19.0-20) was a bigger beast, as Pommard wines can be. Dense and chunky, this was an extremely serious wine with full structure and matching fruit richness. A lovely ageworthy wine. Both wines were a step above what was tasted before, but it was disconcerting to try to identify which was which!
Delightfully, the two grand cru wines were yet again another step up again, in every dimension. Softer and somewhat more savoury was the 2005 Bouchard Aine Echezeaux 2005 (18.0+/20). Still fuller and more dense than all the previous wines, and despite the plumpness and fruit depth, many found the oaking on the dominant side. Nevertheless, high quality wine with fine-grained textures. The star of the night was the 2005 Bouchard Aine Clos de la Roche (19.5/20) with its gorgeously primary, tightly concentrated dark fruit flavours. Ripe, sweet, juicy, yet with an elegance of style, this was a beautifully proportioned wine that shows the qualities of the 2005 vintage.