2018 Chambertin Clos de Beze
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Tasting notes
As I reported when I tasted it from barrel, Bouchard's source insisted on picking very late in this vintage, and the 2018 Chambertin Clos de Bèze Grand Cru is accordingly the headiest, ripest wine in the cellar by some margin, labelled at a tariff-busting but also surely honest 15% alcohol. Offering up an extravagant bouquet of orange rind, raspberries, ripe plums, rose petals and incense that's framed by a generous application of spicy oak, it's full-bodied, fleshy and enveloping, with broad shoulders and a sweet core of sun-kissed fruit, built around melting tannins and concluding with noticeable alcoholic warmth. This is a challenging wine to score fairly, since its high octane style is sure to prove divisive and I suspect it won't make old bones; yet at the same time, Frédéric Weber has clearly done a fine job with the fruit he received.
Critic scores
Average Score
Tim Jackson MW, jancisrobinson.com
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Plum, orange-peel and dried-meat aromas follow through to a full body, yet it’s so tight and polished with long, persistent tannins that give the wine wonderful depth and character. Still tightly wound. Give this until after 2023 to show it all.
Naughty heavy bottle. Overt vanilla and stones, with a core of red-cherry fruit, lots of spicy, peppery tannins and extract. Intense and youthful. A touch of warmth on the finish, but there’s a lot of the ingredients now that should come together quite nicely. (TJ)
The 2018 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru was picked on September 16, like the Chapelle-Chambertin, and likewise I sense some over-maturity on the nose that detracts from the terroir expression. The palate is ripe and candied on the entry, with good weight and fleshiness and a touch of soy toward the dense finish, which is highly pleasurable yet not the most complex from Bouchard Père this year.
About the producer
Bouchard Père & Fils is one of Burgundy’s oldest and most established wine producers. Founded in 1731 by Michel Bouchard, it is the largest vineyard owner in the Côte d’Or with 130 hectares of vines.