“One of Bouchard’s signature wines has, for generations been the Ancienne Cuvée Carnot.” – Burgundy Report

Savvy Burgundy fans! What do Domaine Bouchard, Clos de Tart, Gucci and Christie’s auctions have in common?

They are all owned by Group Artémis, the investment arm of billionaire François Pinault. And this QUADRUPLE 93 POINT Volnay is one of the hidden values in their vast swath of luxury goods and investment-grade wines.

Next year Bouchard will be celebrating 250 years of owning and farming this vineyard. You read that right. 229 years ago, when Bouchard was just a 24-year-old company, they purchased their very first vineyard from Monsieur Carnot, in 1775. At the time, and in 1855’s first classification of the greatest sites in Burgundy that laid the foundations of the Grand and 1er Crus as we know them today, this plot was acknowledged as one of the very few Tête de Cuvée vineyards. To this date, its wines reign supreme as one of Bouchard’s, and Burgundy’s most storied.

And many still put Bouchard at the very top of Burgundy’s greatest institutions. If you follow the wine and real estate world, the ownership change just this year has set that fact in stone. Per Wine Spectator, the new owner of Bouchard, “François Pinault is one of the world’s richest men… Artémis is his family’s investment company, which began its wine focus when Pinault purchased Château Latour in 1993. In recent years, Artémis has bought some of the world’s most iconic wineries, including Clos de Tart in Morey-Saint-Denis, Château Grillet in the Northern Rhône, Napa’s Eisele Vineyard… The company also owns Gucci, and Christie’s, one of the wine world’s leading auction houses.”

Ahem, back to this wine… and the 2018 vintage, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate writes “As the accompanying notes attest, there are plenty of wines that merit consideration Chez Bouchard in 2018. That’s great news, as everyone wins when Burgundy’s standard bearer flourishes.”

That includes YOU!

Not one, but FOUR critics agreed at 93 points, while they all popped the corks many years ago when this was just a tightly coiled young baby!

At this tender age, it’s safe to say it’s unwound. Stretched out, matured, and heading into primetime. So, let’s just go ahead and add a few more points to those 93s. The perfume greets the senses with violets, crushed flowers, incense, and forest floor with red and purple fruits developing over time in the glass. Elegant, beautifully balanced, and ethereal on the palate, with a weightless texture, it’s beautifully breathtaking Volnay, to drink now and over the coming decades, if not beyond.

Just SIX barrels made it to the US, and most were gone when we were able to put this unreal deal together, so you know what that means…

93+ Points – Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate “The 2018 Volnay 1er Cru Les Caillerets Ancienne Cuvée Carnot is showing beautifully from bottle, unwinding in the glass with aromas of cassis, black plums, sweet soil tones and subtle spices. Medium to full-bodied, deep and concentrated, it’s one of the more tightly wound wines in the range, with powdery structuring tannins, lively acids and a long, penetrating finish. Drink 2025-2050.”

93 Points – Wine Spectator “Lush in texture and balanced on the soft side, this red displays black cherry, blackberry, violet and earth flavors. Terrific harmony and a long, complex finish of fruit and mineral. Will be approachable in the short term. Drink now through 2033. 150 cases imported.”

93 Points, Outstanding – Burghound “This is compositionally similar to the Taillepieds but even riper and with just a bit more spice elements. There is good intensity and minerality on the delicious middle weight flavors that also coat the palate on the youthfully austere and slightly warm finish that delivers fine length. Drink 2030+.”

93 Points – James Suckling “Blueberry, plum and flower aromas with some new leather. It’s full-bodied with lots of fruit and density. Flavorful and stylish at the finish. Try after 2022.”