The Bouchard Père & Fils Meursault 1er Cru Genevrières 2022 is a vibrant, medium to full-bodied wine with aromas of pear, white flowers, hazelnuts, and ripe citrus. Its lively, fleshy core showcases good concentration and balance. Aged for 9 to 10 months in French oak, with up to 15% new oak, it offers a refined yet full mouthfeel, typical of Les Genevrières. Ideal for pairing with fish dishes in sauce or foie gras, this wine has great ageing potential, with the ability to evolve for 5 to 7 years or more.

James Suckling | JS 96
Published: Jun 20, 2024

Beautiful nose of white flowers and lemon jelly. The creamy-dreamy front of the medium- to full-bodied palate doesn't let you move on, but when you do the interplay of chalky minerality with richness is stunning. And right at the end the wine's stony side and an exciting touch of grapefruit bitterness show themselves beautifully. From two blocks that are 2.6 hectares in total. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.

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

Bouchard is replanting a big block in this site, so the 2022 Meursault 1er Cru Genevrières is a smaller cuvée than usual. Unfurling in the glass with notes of pear, white flowers, fresh hazelnuts and ripe citrus, it's medium to full-bodied, satiny and vibrant, with a fleshy core of fruit that exhibits good concentration and cut.

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.

Inside Burgundy | IB 91
Published: May, 2026
Drink: 2030-2040

Pale primrose. A slightly heavy oak on the nose first up. Now the fruit begins to emerge. Still a little overegged though and the oak dominates the finish. I would like to see a little more fruit concentration though the middle. Drink from 2030-2040. Tasted May 2026 by Jasper Morris MW.

Bouchard-pereetfils.com

In olden days, the vineyards of this great Meursault must have been surrounded by junipers whose name has lived on. This prestigious appellation was classified as a "Tete de cuvee" as early as 1855 by Dr Lavalle in his renowned book "Histoire et Statistiques de la Vigne et des Grands Vins de la Cote-d'Or". At that time, the terms Premiers Crus and Grands Crus were not in use. Bouchard Pere & Fils owns 2.65 hectares of Meursault Genevrieres, often the first Chardonnays to be harvested on the estate.

TASTING NOTE: Subtle bouquet of fruit and flowers combined with toasted hints. Full yet refined, without the slightest heaviness and with the liveliness typical of Les Genevri?res. A voluptuous wine. Good ageing potential.

Technical Specs

Alcohol: 13.5%
Closure: Natural Cork
Harvest: 2022
Oak: 25–30% new French oak; 16–20 months total ageing, with the final 3–4 months in large oak foudres
Varietals: 100% Chardonnay
Vineyard Area: Meursault Genevrières Premier Cru — Bouchard Père & Fils' parcels
Vineyard Area: Approx. 2.65 ha
Soil: Gravelly clay-limestone with traces of iron
Exposition: East / South-east
Harvest: Hand-picked in 13kg crates with careful bunch-by-bunch sorting
Vinification: Whole-bunch pressing over 2–3 hours to select the finest juices, followed by fermentation and maturation in French oak. The wine is aged in barrel before finishing in large foudres. The two Genevrières parcels are vinified separately, combining the broader, generous character of the slope with the fresher, more chalky character of the upper plot.
Region: Meursault, Côte de Beaune, Burgundy, France
Classification: Meursault Premier Cru – Genevrières

Serving Temperature: 12–14°C
Decanting: 30–45 minutes
Food Pairing: Turbot, sea bass, scallops, lobster, langoustines, fish in cream sauce, foie gras, roast poultry and creamy mushroom dishes.