Tasting Report: 2017 Burgundy from Bouchard Pere & Fils and William Fevre
The first wines of Burgundy’s 2017 vintage are just now starting to trickle out, and the Henriot family brought their two Burgundy operations — Bouchard Pere & Fils and William Fevre — to the U.S. to show off how things were coming together. (Some of the wines reviewed below — particularly premier cru and grand cru reds — are not yet released.)
In speaking with William Fevre winemaker Didier Seguier, as with 2016, yields were again a big concern for 2017 due to frost conditions, though he felt the quality of the finished wines was quite high.
Thoughts on all wines tasted follow.
Bouchard Pere & Fils reds
2017 Bouchard Pere & Fils Santenay – rather dusty, tight and leathery. B
2017 Bouchard Pere & Fils Savigny-les-Beaune – quite herbal, restrained but evolving in bottle. B
2017 Bouchard Pere & Fils Pommard – fresher, with brighter berry notes and a light green edge. B+
2017 Bouchard Pere & Fils Nuits-Saint-Georges – quite bright; raspberry vinegar notes, hint of chocolate. A-
2017 Bouchard Pere & Fils Chambolle-Musigny – similarly bright and fruity, a touch of vinegar, a bit less balanced.B+
2017 Bouchard Pere & Fils Vosne-Romanee – evocative and earthy, graphite; big and plump red berries. A-
2017 Bouchard Pere & Fils Gevrey-Chambertin – blackberries and mild spice, a bit sweet on the finish. A-
2017 Bouchard Pere & Fils Savigny-les-Beaune Les Lavieres Premier Cru – tight, lightly leathery on the nose; more fruit emerging later on. B+
2017 Bouchard Pere & Fils Pommard Premier Cru – classic Pommard; blackberry and black tea, mild clove, and a nutmeg note. A-
2017 Bouchard Pere & Fils Beaune Clos de la Mousse Premier Cru – meaty; a bit young; cherry and beef jerky notes collide a bit here. B
2017 Bouchard Pere & Fils Beaune Greves Vigne de l’Enfant Jesus Premier Cru – lush and fresh; bright strawberry and cherry notes. A-
2017 Bouchard Pere & Fils Volnay Les Caillerets Premier Cru – big with red fruits, some spice, and a weird brown butter note; too light on the body. B+
2017 Bouchard Pere & Fils Volnay Taille Pieds Premier Cru – pepper jam, blackberry is big; very different from Les Caillerets, lingering spice notes. A
2017 Bouchard Pere & Fils Le Corton Grand Cru – very bright and high in acidity; needs time to develop; showing a nice tea leaf note. B+
2017 Bouchard Pere & Fils Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Cailles Premier Cru – again very bright, lots of acid; fresh berries, great structure, but light on the body. A-
2017 Bouchard Pere & Fils Echezeaux Grand Cru – tons of acidity; lightly beefy; raspberries and lingering spice. A-
2017 Bouchard Pere & Fils Chambertin-Clos de Beze Grand Cru – chewy, bold; lightly peppery; big spice notes, dried fruits linger; excellent. A
Bouchard Pere & Fils whites
2017 Bouchard Pere & Fils Meursault Les Clous – a bit meaty, with melon overtones. B+
2017 Bouchard Pere & Fils Puligny-Montrachet – brighter, brioche notes; light melon. B+
2017 Bouchard Pere & Fils Chassagne-Montrachet – bright and lemony, very crisp. A-
2017 Bouchard Pere & Fils Beaune Clos Saint-Landry Premier Cru – a bit chewy; melon again; grapefruit; rather complex. B+
2017 Bouchard Pere & Fils Meursault Genevrieres Premier Cru – a bit doughy; quince notes on the back end. B+
2017 Bouchard Pere & Fils Meursault Perrieres Premier Cru – creamy with lemon curd texture and overtones; light grapefruit character. A
2017 Bouchard Pere & Fils Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru – pear, melon, citrus, plus plenty of florals; exotic. A
2017 Bouchard Pere & Fils Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru – shockingly, a bit thin; fruit is held in check; finish is biting. B
William Fevre whites
2017 William Fevre Chablis Fourchaume Premier Cru – lovely lemon; bright minerals; assertive; some melon on the finish. A-
2017 William Fevre Chablis Montmains Premier Cru – similar to Fourchaume; some bready notes, lightly salty; mineral and slate endure. A-
2017 William Fevre Chablis Vaillons Premier Cru – even bolder mineral notes; slightly austere; gently meaty. B+
2017 William Fevre Chablis Montee de Tonnerre Premier Cru – an extreme mineral bomb; quite stony; notes of melon and some citrus on the finish. B+
2017 William Fevre Chablis Bougros Grand Cru – flatland wine; slightly creamy, vanilla-scented; extremely approachable, with melon and some spice notes. A-
2017 William Fevre Chablis Bougros “Cote Bouguerots” Grand Cru – vastly different, from slope-harvested grapes within Bourgos; explosive minerals, quite bracing; a bit doughy on the finish, though. B+
2017 William Fevre Chablis Les Preuses Grand Cru – unique in this lineup; quite elegant, with ample mineral and saline notes, plus notes of melon, citrus peel; lots of longevity in this balanced, complex wine. A
2017 William Fevre Chablis Les Clos Grand Cru – Fevre’s top of the line; built for aging; bold body, some meatiness but also big fruit notes; melon, lemon, slightly grassy. A-
