The 2022 Beaune 1er Cru Les Grèves Vigne de l'Enfant Jésus is an exceptional wine, praised for its balance and refinement. James Suckling awarded it a score of 96, noting its harmony of red fruit and silky tannins, with a delicate spice mystery that unfolds over time. It is elegant, with excellent concentration and a subtle, mineral finish. The Wine Advocate gave it a score of 92-94, highlighting its aromas of blackberries, violets, and spices, alongside its fleshy palate and mineral profile. The wine is built for aging, but it's already delightful, offering a great benchmark for the appellation.

Jamessuckling.com | JS 96
Published: Nov 14, 2024  

Often consumers expect a great Burgundy to be a dramatic and showy wine. This is an ideal example of how Burgundian greatness often expresses itself more gently. The harmony of red-fruit character with superfine tannins, plus excellent concentration and really silky tannins on the medium-bodied palate marks this out as a truly exceptional wine for the appellation. Delicious though it is now, try to give it some time in the glass to reveal its delicately spicy mystery. From a 3.9 hectare parcel in the middle of the slope of the 1er Cru Greves, where there's never any hydric stress. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.

The Wine Advocate | RP 92-94
Publisehd: Jan 18, 2024

he 2022 Beaune 1er Cru Les Grèves Vigne de l'Enfant Jesus is lovely, wafting from the glass with aromas of blackberries, spices, violets and rose petals. Medium to full-bodied, broad and enveloping, with a fleshy attack that segues into a refined, mineral palate and a saline finish, it's a benchmark for the appellation.

The 2022 vintage is another tour de force for Bouchard, as the accompanying tasting notes reflect. Technical director Frédéric Weber reported little in the way of hydric stress, with rapid ripening at the end of the season that saw some parcels accumulate 1.5% potential alcohol in as little as three days. Fortunately, the team hadn't performed any deleafing and were able to apply protective kaolin clay as sunblock for the leaves and fruit to ride out the heat wave. Harvest began on August 26, with anything picked after 11 a.m. left overnight in a cold room for processing the following day, and the harvesters stopping work at 2 p.m.

As I've written before, viticulture chez Bouchard is among the best of the big houses (I drive past their Beaune vineyards several hundred times every year). Organic conversion is underway, and canopies are now hedged to 1.30 meters, around 30 centimeters higher than the classic low rognage that still predominates along the Côte—forward-thinking innovations that will no doubt find imitators in short order among other big players. Vinifications in red increasingly incorporate whole bunches, and whites are barreled down before the end of alcoholic fermentation, with foudres now employed for the second winter of élevage for some cuvées.

Jancisrobinson.com | JR 16.5
Published: Jan 18, 2024
Drink: 2027-2033 

Cask sample. Mid to light crimson. Both dark and bright-red fruits, a bass and a top note. Dry, super-fine tannins. Moderate fruit intensity and elegant rather than powerful overall. Sober not seductive for now.

Bouchard-pereetfils.com

"La Vigne de l’Enfant Jésus" is one of the oldest and most prestigious jewels of the Domaine’s crown. Acquired in 1791, this 3.91 hectare plot, located in the heart of the Beaune Les Grèves appellation, is an exclusive of Bouchard Père & Fils.

During a sale of national assets in 1791, Bouchard Père & Fils bid for the vineyard, located in the heart of the 32-hectare BEAUNE PREMIER CRU Les Grèves. The domain remains its sole owner to this day.

Grape variety: Pinot noir
Soil: Clayey, sandy limestone
Exposure: East / South-East
Surface area: 3,92 hectares

Terroir
— Loose limestone rock, very gravelly soil, almost sandy, preserving the vines from water stress.
— With a bedrock depth of 70/80 cm, roots penetrate deep into the subsoil, embed- ding themselves in underground cracks.
— Mid-slope location: ideal setting for a perfectly balanced soil (avoiding both excess moisture and excessive dryness).
— With a 15% slope, the rainfall from the hillside nourishes the soil and trickles without stagnation.

Tasting
— THE COLOUR is still vivid without being too intense.
— THE NOSE reveals a unique blend of aromas combining very ripe black and red fruit tinged with subtle fresh leather notes.
— THE MOUTH, displays the same aromas of fruit and leather combined with notes of wood and spice. The attack remains very fresh, offering great intensity, leading to a remarkably silky and soft finish.The silky quality lingers mingling with a vibration that distinguishes this unique wine from all others. This fruitiness, the silky texture, and hints of fresh leather truly embody the essence of the terroir.

Expertise
— HARVESTS: Vigne de l'Enfant Jésus is among our first plots harvested each year. Hand-harvested in 13 kg crates, the grapes are then meticulously sorted by our teams.
— VINIFICATION: Cold maceration at the outset of vatting for a few days, followed by fermentation and extraction with treading. Daily monitoring of progress through tasting and musts analysis. Devatting after 18 to 20 days. Vertical press.
— AGEING: 16 to 20 months in French oak barrels. 35 to 40% of new barrels. The remainder consists of previ- ously used barrels. Manual racking to blend the different subparcels when ageing is complete.
— MATURATION: The bottles are preserved in optimal conditions in underground cellars until they are released for sale.