2022 Domaine Bouchard Pere & Fils Volnay 1er Les Caillerets Ancienne Cuvee Carnot
If you know anything about the Bouchard lineup, you know that the Ancienne Cuvee Carnot is a wine that punches well above its weight! Most producers have 1 or 2 in their lineup, you just have to know them. For Bouchard, this is it.
In fact, this wine lines up perfectly with Vins Rare’s mission; to discover and introduce special wines that fly a little under the radar, 1er crus that provide a grand cru experience, wines that are a little less famous. These wines must deliver an experience that makes you truly appreciate what Burgundy is all about.
When you see Burghound say “Buy It,” you know it deserves your attention and for as long as I can remember, every time I open a bottle of this cuvee it never disappoints. My personal experience with this wine goes back to the 1976 vintage! It is a special terroir and one of the oldest in the Bouchard stable, being acquired in the 1850’s.
I would describe the flavors here as being on the black fruited side of the spectrum. It's a concentrated wine that shows off the minerality and structure associated with the steeper rocky soils that makes Caillerets one of the best terroirs of Volnay. There is no denying the old vine sappiness and a density that rivals anything you would find in the Cote de Nuits.
After 30 years in the Burgundy wine business, I’ve been fortunate enough to drink most reference point wines and learned early on - it’s all about what's in the bottle, not the label, that matters. At sub $100, you will be hard pressed to find a better wine in today's Burgundy market. I strongly advise anyone serious about Burgundy having some of this in their cellar.
Here too there is a liqueur-like quality to the black cherry aromas that are nuanced by floral and spice hints. The caressing yet intense and beautifully detailed middleweight flavors brim with both minerality and dry extract that carry over to the dusty, moderately austere and affirmatively built-to-age finish. This is one exceptionally classy wine, indeed the mouthfeel is pure silk. Buy it.
- Burghound, 92-95 Sweet Spot Outstanding!
The 2022 Volnay 1er Cru Les Caillerets Ancienne Cuvée Carnot is showing especially well, bursting with aromas of dark berries and cherries mingled with spices, rose petals and smoke. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and concentrated, it's pure and ethereal, with lively acids, powdery tannins and a long, saline finish.
- William Kelley, 92-94
STORY
In 1892, when René Danguy wrote a book seeking to demystify the nomenclature of Bourgogne vineyards and their proprietors, he included a photo of the “propriété de M. Joseph Bouchard” flanked by vines, writing: “The estate consists of large and beautiful top-notch vineyards; its wines have always been considered among the best of Volnay.” That holds true today! The 2022 Bouchard Pere et Fils Volnay 1er Cru Les Caillerets - Ancienne Cuvee Carnot expresses the best of the top cru, allowing you to also sip from history. The company was founded in 1731 by Michel Bouchard, who began as a wine broker and gradually started acquiring vineyards in the region. Over the centuries, the company continued to grow and expand its holdings, and today it owns more than 320 acres of vineyards across the appellation.
As is the way in Bourgogne, "Ancienne Cuvee Carnot" designation refers to a specific plot within the Les Caillerets vineyard once owned by the Carnot family - acquired by Bouchard in the 1850’s. The Ancienne Cuvee Carnot plot is not a Clos, which is a walled vineyard in Burgundy. Instead, it is a specific section of the larger premier cru vineyard. Bouchard cherishes the Carnot plot its slightly steeper slope, which contributes to the exceptional quality of the grapes grown there. The Les Caillerets vineyard is known for having a mixture of limestone and clay soils, with a higher proportion of limestone in the upper portion of the slope and more clay in the lower portion. The limestone soil contributes to the minerality and elegance of the wines produced from this vineyard. The Carnot plot, by contrast, boasts a slightly higher proportion of clay in the soil compared to other Les Caillerets sections. This contributes to the exceptional concentration and structure of the grapes grown there, and is a tremendous benefit in the warmer vintages (like 2022) as clay soils are known for their ability to retain water and nutrients and therefore not stressing the vines which many fear in these warmer vintages. The high percentage of older vines also help a lot in this regard.
