Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Wine & Spirits
Bouchard has owned this 8.3-acre vineyard in its entirety since 1872. Situated directly above the village of Beaune, the parcel produced a markedly concentrated and lusciously ripe 2013, a grand red wine with staying power. Woodland mushroom notes and black-peppercorn spice add to the complexity in the end, where the wine makes its most significant and lasting impression.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Bouchard's 2013 Beaune 1er Cru Clos de la Mousse is showing well, offering up an attractive bouquet of smoky red berries, dried flowers, musk and bergamot. On the palate, it's medium-bodied, delicate and supple, with a pretty core of tangy fruit, powdery and largely melted tannins and a sapid, flavorful finish. This won't make old bones, but it's a charming Beaune 1er Cru from an overlooked vintage that's drinking well today.
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Wine Spectator
A pretty, elegant red, exhibiting cherry, strawberry, mineral and spice flavors, backed by a firm structure. Balanced in the crisp style of the vintage, with fine length and purity. Best from 2018 through 2029. 200 cases imported.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
While the city represents the epicenter of wine production in Burgundy, the term, “Beaune” also refers to the specific sub-appellation of the greater Côte de Beaune, whose vineyards climb up the pastoral slopes that border the city to its west. Originally founded as a Roman camp by Julius Caesar, the city of Beaune eventually became the seat of the dukes of Burgundy until the 13th century. Today it is home to top négociants such as Louis Jadot, Joseph Drouhin, Louis Latour, and Bouchard Père et Fils.
The appellation, dominated by Pinot Noir plantings, represents a lovely and charming place to begin to understand red Burgundy. Its sandy soils create light and supple, floral driven Pinot Noir. These wines are designed to be enjoyed within five to 10 years. The vineyards of Beaune span a broad swath of Premier Crus from Savigny-lès-Beaune to its border with Pommard.
Chardonnay acreage here has been increasing here in the more recent years.