Source: January 2020 Week 2, The Wine Advocate; Issue Date: 9th Jan 2020 (RP-94-96)

The high point of Bouchard's red portfolio this year is surely the 2018 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru, a striking wine that unfurls in the glass with aromas of raspberries, cherries and wild blueberries mingled with suggestions of rose petals, grilled squab, incense and dark chocolate. On the palate, it's full-bodied, deep and concentrated, with a multidimensional core, lively acids and a long, notably intense finish. This is a small cuv?e, derived from an elongated, 25-are parcel, but it will be well worth the effort to seek out.

Source: Winemaker,

Could the prestige of this Grand Cru be due to the work of man or the protection of the gods? Some think that the names come from the verb " marer " which meant " cutlivate ", whilst others assert that the " appellation " originated in the bas-reliefs found on the site representing the mother goddesses, or "Bonnes Meres" who protected the harvest. In 1996, Bouchard Pere & Fils acquired 24 "ares" at Chambolle-Musigny and now produces a little over 1000 bottles of this wine per year.

TASTING NOTE: A remarkably refined bouquet of fruit and spices combined with hint of oak. Dense on the palate, this wine envelops its structure with superb flesh. Very good aging potential.

FOOD/WINE PAIRING: Poultry, game birds (pigeon, fowl, etc.), medium-flavored cheeses.

SERVING TEMPERATURE: Between 17C to 18C

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: Gravelly soil with clay and limestone, iron traces

TOTAL SURFACE OF THE APPELATION IN PRODUCTION:15 hectares

DOMAIN SURFACE IN PRODUCTION: 0.24 hectares