2017 Clos Vougeot

Bouchard owns two parcels at the top and bottom of the famed walled vineyard, although the 2017 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru comes solely from the top part, as the bottom has been pulled up. This has quite an exotic bouquet, perhaps just a little ostentatious for my liking. Picked a day or two too late? The solid, dense palate is medium-bodied with saturated tannin, well-judged acidity and candied orange peel interlaced with lush red fruit toward the finish. The nose just needs to pull its socks up.

This has very plush aromas of violets, flowers and blue fruit that follow to the palate with a deep swathe of ripe, round tannins. Long, plush finish. Great power and ripeness here. Try from 2022.

The 2017 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru hails elusively from Bouchard's holdings in the upper part of the Clos, as their lower-lying parcels are being replanted. The wine reveals notes of sweet cassis, wild berries, incense, rich soil and smoky new oak, followed by a medium to full-bodied, ample and layered palate that reveals good depth and dimension. Vinified with some 50% whole cluster, it's a very promising bottling that will likely fly under the radar.