One of Burgundy’s
Little (Big) Secrets
2010 Bouchard Beaune 1er Cru
l'Enfant Jésus MAGNUMS
Lowest Price in the Nation
On paper, Bouchard's l'Enfant Jésus is an unlikely flagship. Bouchard holdings aren't shy on heavy hitting Grand Crus - Montrachet, Bonnes Mares, Chambertin, among others.
On the table, in the glass, things come into a sharper perspective.
The truth is that Bouchard's l'Enfant Jésus can embarrass many a Grand Cru. In fact, during tastings, Bouchard will often pour the L'Enfant Jésus after their Grand Crus.
The quality of this wine has not gone unnoticed - in fact it's one of those Burgundy-insider bottlings. Spend some time in the cellars of big collectors and you'll see l'Enfant Jésus stacked right next to the big dogs from DRC, Rousseau and Roumier.
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Yet you'll also find the l'Enfant Jesus in more modest cellars for the simple fact is that this is one of the truly great values of the wine world.
Today, we take the value and we double it, presentinga small tranche of one of our favorite Burgs of the vintage,one of the best values of the vintage, IN MAGNUM. At the lowest price in the nation, there is essentially no upcharge today for the rarity of the format.
The 2010 vintage hardly needs much of an introduction at this point, but we should say this: It's the most pristine young vintage we've tasted. This is a vintage for purists as the terroir is front and center.
In 2010, the l'Enfant Jésus really flaunts what makes it such a cult bottling: Power and depth with a fantastic detail of soil and stone. The l'Enfant Jesus is a part of Beaune-Grèves, and if Beaune were to have a Grand Cru, it would be Grèves. Beaune-Grève seems to combine the confident style of Pommard, its fullness of body and its muscle, with the signature elegance of Volnay.
The Bouchard family bought this 3.9-hectare plot (a monopole) in 1791, after the French Revolution brought the land from the church to the state. This is one of the most important parcels of land that Bouchard owns and the track record of l'Enfant Jesus in bottle almost goes as far as the parcel itself. Take a look at Burghound's notes: You'll find recent and very enthusiastic tasting notes for l'Enfant Jésus bottles as far back as the late 19th century.
Yes, here's the understatement of the day: L'Enfant Jésus can age.
And, as we've written so many times, magnums are the perfect format for graceful aging. It's one of those great mysteries that is only partially explained by science: Wine just tastes better, fresher, clearer, from magnum. In this format, expect Bouchard's 2010 l'Enfant Jésus to grow in the cellar for 20 years... and likely much, much longer.
Now comes the only downside: yields in 2010 are way down, anywhere from 30-40%. With a vintage this good and quantities this small, we'll likely have to allocate.
Please give us your maximum order and we will allocate as best we can.
To order, please email us at offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Ian McFadden
Director, Fine & Rare Wines
Crush Wine & Spirits