Bouchard Père & Fils
15 Rue du Château
21200 Beaune
Tél : +33 (0)3 80 24 80 24

contact@bouchard-pereetfils.com
www.bouchard-pereetfils.com

Bouchard Père & Fils, Great name of the Côte de Beaune

Find out all about the Bouchard Père & Fils trading house and Domaine, in Burgundy's Côte d'Or region.

The “Grande Maison” Bouchard, revered institution and absolute emblem of the Côte de Beaune

Located in the town of Beaune, in the heart of the Côte d'Or, the famous Bouchard Père & Fils trading house, founded in 1731, has been established in the heart of Burgundy for 3 centuries and 9 generations. Present in 100 appellations, including 12 Grands Crus and 74 Premiers Crus, 450 parcels for a total of 130 hectares, mainly in the Côte de Beaune, this veritable institution vinifies remarkably, as do its two iconic, historic and prestigious wines, La Vigne de l'Enfant Jésus in the Beaune 1er Cru Grèves appellation, and its Corton Grand Cru Domaine in the Corton appellation.

One of Burgundy's most historic homes.

Founded in Beaune in 1731 by Michel Bouchard, Maison Bouchard Père & Fils is also one of Burgundy's oldest wine merchants and owner-managers. Its founder, a Dauphinois, was a draper by trade with Flanders. This activity, which was at the origin of his foray into the world of wine, regularly led him to stop off in Burgundy at the homes of hosts who sold him wine in return. But once he arrived in Flanders, many of his customers asked for Burgundy wines. Michel Bouchard saw the wine trade as a lucrative and profitable business, and gradually gave up his draper's trade to devote himself entirely to selling wines from the Beaune vineyards. The Wine Merchant Bouchard Père & Fils was thus launched. 

But what would a trading business be - buying grapes and sourcing them from other estates - without understanding vineyard production and management itself? This is how the family estate was patiently built up over the centuries, through prestigious acquisitions in the most beautiful villages, to create an exceptional winegrowing estate through 9 generations of winegrowers and merchants. As a result, Bouchard Père & Fils is present on 130 hectares of vines, on the finest Climats in Burgundy, and in 100 appellations, making it one of Burgundy's most priceless and rare winegrowing assets. Meursault Perrières, Montrachet, Corton-Charlemagne, Bonnes-Mares, Beaune Grèves Vigne de l'Enfant Jésus (emblem of Maison Bouchard Père & Fils, plots acquired in 1791), etc.

A royal and exceptional jewel box for a singular Maison.

In 1820, the company moved into the beautiful Château de Beaune, overlooking the town's ramparts, following Bertrand Bouchard's purchase of the royal fortress built on the orders of Louis XI in the 15th century. It's a magical place, with its typical polychrome roofs and, above all, its vaulted cellars (dating back to the 15th century) beneath the château, brimming with exceptional bottles that bear witness over the centuries to vintages patiently constructed and matured in conditions like no other. These cellars are located 10 meters underground, with walls 7 meters thick. Bottles age here with serenity and in optimal conditions. And a war chest, so to speak: over 2,000 bottles dating back to the 19th century, with the oldest bottles being a Meursault Charmes from 1846, a Montrachet from 1864, and a Beaune Grèves Vigne de l'Enfant Jésus from 1865. Enough to make any connoisseur dream.

Over the centuries, the generations developed their international trading activities, while at the same time acquiring new plots of land, thus multiplying their presence in numerous Burgundy Climats. Wines made from the company's own vines are labelled “domaine”, so as not to confuse them with those made from purchased grapes, i.e. from the trading activity. With 130 hectares, Bouchard Père & Fils covers almost all the Burgundy appellations. It's a rare occurrence to say the least.

From Burgundy to Champagne

1995 marks a major turning point in the history of the famous House. It was no longer Burgundians who presided over the destiny of the famous House, but Champenois from Reims. The Bouchard heirs then collectively sold parcels of the family business to the famous Champagne Maison Henriot, who in return undertook to develop the wine business of Bouchard Père et Fils, while perpetuating the excellence and know-how handed down by generations of Bouchard. The regretful Joseph Henriot went on to make new acquisitions in Meursault, Côtes de Beaune and above all Côtes de Nuits, including the purchase of William Fèvre in Chablis, another great Burgundy domaine. It was also Joseph Henriot who equipped the emblematic House with a new, state-of-the-art winery, totally designed to manage the vinification of its red and white wines, the different Climats it owns and the bottling of 3 million bottles (a colossal figure), 600,000 of which come from the estates it operates itself.

In this historical section, let's not forget to mention the most recent major turning point in the development of the négoce and winegrower business: September 30th, 2022. The group's share capital includes a major new arrival: the Pinault family (billionaire François Pinault), owners of Artémis Domaines (Château Latour, Premier Cru Classé en 1855 in Pauillac in the Bordeaux region, the famous Clos de Tart in Morey-Saint-Denis, Domaine d'Eugénie in Vosne-Romanée). A majority shareholder, Artémis Domaines has joined forces with Henriot (Maisons & Domaines Henriot), while Henriot is a minority shareholder in Bouchard Père & Fils, jointly with Artémis Domaines. This pooling of the respective estates has the merit of protecting such a historic emblem of Burgundy, guaranteeing that the Maison and the estates, thus merged, all remain under the French flag: This is no small detail, given the number of prestigious wineries and châteaux that have gone under foreign ownership, often due to a lack of French investors. Frédéric Engerer (Managing Director of Artémis Domaines) and Gilles de Larouzière Henriot (CEO of Maisons & Domaines Henriot) intend to make this joint management a long-term project, continuing to enrich the history of these prestigious entities and keeping the dream in the bottle alive.

An unparalleled mosaic of terroirs and wines.

Bouchard Père & Fils has a strong presence in the Beaune appellation, as well as in Beaune 1er Cru, with 70 hectares of its own vineyards. In Côte de Beaune, on a limestone subsoil, the Chardonnay produced by the “Grande Maison” is used to make some of the world's finest white wines, both Grands Crus and Premiers Crus. Of Burgundy's eight white Grands Crus, Bouchard Père & Fils alone produces four, including the House's exclusive Chevalier-Montrachet appellation: Chevalier-Montrachet la Cabotte.

As for the great red Burgundy wines it produces, these account for three-quarters of Côte d'Or Grands Crus production, but only 1.5% of total Burgundy wine production. Among Burgundy's 25 red Grands Crus, Bouchard Père & Fils offers a selection of highly diverse climats. These include Bonnes-Mares, Charmes-Chambertin, Chambertin-Clos-de-Bèze, Chambertin, Chapelle-Chambertin, Échezeaux and, of course, Clos Vougeot.

Pinot Noir on these dark Côte de Nuits soils has real character, finesse and power. The appellations and climats it exploits concentrate almost all the red Grands Crus. The only exception is Corton, the only red Grand Cru on the Côte de Beaune. Bouchard Père & Fils's “hunting list” therefore includes some superb monopolies, starting with the prestigious and famous Beaune 1er Cru rouge Grèves Vigne de l'Enfant Jésus.  

Estate wines recognizable by their “Domaine” label

With 450 plots of vines covering a total of 130 hectares, stretching some 50 km from north to south, Bouchard Père & Fils offers a breathtaking diversity of expertise. In fact, the company makes a point of knowing each terroir, each vineyard, and even each bunch of grapes. To enhance all this, Bouchard Père & Fils invested in a high-precision vats room winery in 2005. Located in Savigny-lès-Beaune, the Saint-Vincent winery - 138 gravity-fed vats - enables us to vinify over 100 different crus, extracting every expression of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, depending on the crus and climates. Bouchard Père & Fils's range of wines is impressive, as is often the case with the great Burgundy houses that combine the trade of wine merchant with that of wine producer. To identify wines produced in-house (excluding grapes purchased from other producers), the wines in question are labelled “domaine”. The variety of wines is tremendous, and there's no shortage of prestigious appellations at Bouchard Père & Fils. Reviewing all the cuvées would merit a chapter in itself, and while it's fashionable to mention the four monopolies and exclusivities such as Montrachet, Corton-Charlemagne, Bonnes-Mares and Meursault Perrières, there's one wine in particular that deserves some explanation.

Monopoly and iconic Revolutionary wine

The wine in this case symbolizes the very excellence of the “Grande Maison”. This wine is Beaune Grèves Vigne de l'Enfant Jésus. Where does the name come from? “Vigne de l'Enfant Jésus” reminds us back to a historical anecdote. Marguerite du Saint Sacrement, a Carmelite nun and founder of the Domestiques de la famille du Saint Enfant Jésus, is said to have predicted the birth of French king Louis XIV when his mother Anne of Austria was sterile. When the future Sun King was born, this high-quality vineyard, owned by the Carmelites, was named “Vigne de l'Enfant Jésus”, precisely in homage to the Sun King. Bouchard Père & Fils came into possession of this cru in 1791, at the time of the sale of national property. The sale of the national property of the Burgundian clergy and monks, expropriated by the French Revolution, enabled Bouchard Père & Fils to acquire the parcel, located in the heart of the 32-hectare Beaune Grèves appellation. A true flagship in the Maison Beaune wine range, this wine is still exclusive to the “Grande Maison” wine merchant and producer.

Great vintages from Bouchard Père & Fils

Dry white wines: 1928, 1929, 1937, 1945, 1947, 1949, 1959, 1966, 1971, 1989, 1990, 1997, 1999, 2005, 2008, 2010, 2014, 2015, 2018, 2019, 2022.

Red wines: 1926, 1928, 1929, 1934, 1935, 1937, 1943, 1945, 1947, 1949, 1952, 1953, 1959, 1962,1964, 1966, 1969, 1971, 1978, 1985, 1989, 1990, 1995, 1996, 1999, 2001, 2005, 2009, 2012, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2018, 2022.