Putting Grand Crus to Shame
1999 Bouchard Beaune 1er Cru
L'Enfant Jésus MAGNUMS
Only Magnums in the World
Bouchard has no shortage of Grand Crus: Montrachet, Bonnes Mares, Echézeaux and Clos Vougeot.
Yet, many consider the 1er Cru L'Enfant Jésus the flagship of the estate.
This is for a good reason...
L'Enfant Jésus can embarrass many a Grand Cru.
In tastings, Bouchard will often pour the L'Enfant Jésus after their Grand Crus, which says something both about the seriousness of the wine as well as its status at the estate.
Today, we have a special stash (the only one in the world so far as we can tell) of Bouchard's 1999 l'Enfant Jésus in MAGNUM. They've enjoyed over a decade of perfect aging, in pristine conditions - they come in original, single-magnum wooden coffrets.
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1999 is one of the great vintages of the 20th Century - and Bouchard's l'Enfant Jesus is nothing short of a full-scale, epic powerhouse of a wine. At 13 years, this is still young. Seriously, this is a bottle that will age, easily, for another 20, 30+ years.
In the world of fine wine there really are few if any comparisons for the quality and the price.
L' Enfant Jésus is a wine that occupies a strange territory, sought out as it is by the value-minded Burgundy geeks as well as the blue-chip collectors. Few bottles bridge this gap - think of Drouhin's Clos des Mouches, Mugneret-Gibourg's Gevrey 1er Cru (young-vine Ruchottes) and Ramonet's Ruchottes.
The Bouchard family bought this petite, 3.9-hectare plot (a monopole) in 1791, after the French Revolution brought the land from the church to the state.
L'Enfant Jésus is a part of Beaune-Grèves, widely considered one of the very best 1er Crus in all of the Côte de Beaune. It seems to combine the fullness of body, the confident style and muscle of a Pommard with the elegance of Volnay. The 99 is just beginning to emerge from its stony youth, with a dense palate, saturating sweet, dark cherry fruit and a fine weave of tannins and acid - simply exceptional elegance.
While this wine is entering a beautiful drinking window it will require a good decant if it is to be opened in the near term - the full show will only develop further with more time. We've heard stories of people opening bottles from the early 20th Century that are still singing.
These mags offer an opportunity to capture some of Burgundies finest terroir in a great vintage, with perfect provenance, at a great price. Once this parcel sells, out that's it.
To order, email us at offers@crushwineco.com or call the store at (212) 980-9463.
Ian McFadden
Director, Fine & Rare Wine
Crush Wine & Spirits