Beyond Premier Cru
2005 Bouchard Les Suchots and Les Cailles
"The 05s are flat out stupendous." - Burghound
Today's offer doesn't need a grand introduction - you already know the vintage, the top-notch sites, that Bouchard has been gaining huge momentum. And since we have just a few cases on offer today, perhaps we'll just whisper...
...we love these wines.
Today we have a 2005 Burgundy opportunity to backfill two Bouchard gems at a serious discount.
Suchots is a site surrounded by some of the grandest of Grand Crus: RomanĂ©e-St-Vivant, Richebourg and Echezeaux. Bouchard's 05 fairly starts elsewhere at $120 and only goes up from there - we have a few cases that we can move today at $89.95.Â
And as a counterpoint to the seduction of Vosne, we have one of Nuits-St-Georges' greatest, the ruthlessly mineral Les Cailles. At $68.95 this is well over 10% below the lowest price in the nation.
Please note: We have just a few cases of these wines total, so this is going out only to those of you who have supported our Burgundy program. First come, first served.
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Vosne-Romanée's Suchots and Nuits-St-Georges' Cailles aren't quite Grand Crus, but that's the point. They are wines that have to earn their price tag the old fashioned way, by the quality of the juice. But to the seasoned Burgundy buyer, both of these wines are perennial overachievers, wines that get about as close as they possibly can to Grand Cru, yet without the corresponding tariff.
The fact that both of these wines are from 2005, a remarkable vintage already famous for its outstanding purity and ripeness, only makes these more covetable.
Bouchard's 05 Suchots bolsters the typically plush, juicy yet brimming-with-bright-acid red and black berries of the site with gorgeous brushy, earthy herbal tones, offering an additional layer of complexity and intrigue. This is a fantastic wine, and you'd do well to set a few bottles aside - and alongside your Grands Crus - for at least another 10-20 years.Â
The Cailles runs at the other end of the Pinot spectrum, dense and deep and richly powerful with black and purple flowers, fruits and dark earth. The balance here is incredible for a site known for so much concentration and muscularity - as the Burghound notes, there's a velvety mouthfeel that is actually so sheer it borders on silkiness. As with the greatest Nuits-St-Georges, while the midnight fruit is completely seductive now, I expect this to really shine after two to three decades.
If Bouchard was once called an underachiever, that's all gone out the window since the big Henriot takeover in 1995 that placed Philippe Prost in the winemaking driver's seat and revamped production with a brand new cuverié in 2005.
As Andrew Jefford articulates in The New France, "Bouchard Père et Fils has propelled itself back into the front rank of Burgundy negociants. Indeed Bouchard, together with Jadot and Drouhin, proves that large negociant companies can compete, appellation by appellation, with all but the most single-minded growers."
Bobby and I were just in Burgundy last week and can personally vouch for this. Bouchard's property is beautiful, with unbelievably cold, deep cellars; theirs are some of - if not the - most impressive, old cellars in Burgundy. It's abundantly clear that forward-thinking winemaking and high-level quality control are pairing up with amazing tradition here.
We have just a few cases, very sharply priced, on offer today. Please email us at offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463 to place your order.
Ian McFadden
Director, Fine & Rare Wine
Crush Wine & Spirits
Les Suchots
Compare at $120-140
Burghound: A completely different aromatic profile is in evidence here as there is an interesting herbal/vegetal hint that isn't unpleasant at all but it's certainly atypical for the vintage. Other aromas include spicy blackberry and warm earth notes that continue onto the rich, full and mouth coating flavors that are not quite as precise but do offer the same velvety finish.
Les Cailles
Compare at $80-108
Burghound: An even riper nose of violets, cassis and black cherry aromas marries well with rich, full and seductive flavors that possess good focus and power as well as a velvety, indeed even silky mouth feel. A balanced, harmonious and deep offering that should age well for a long time.
Wine is pre-arrival
NET | No further discount