The 2022 Bouchard Père & Fils Beaune du Château Premier Cru Rouge is a historic 100% Pinot Noir from Beaune in Burgundy's Côte de Beaune, and one of the signature wines of this venerable house. First created in 1907, Beaune du Château is unusual because it is not sourced from a single Premier Cru vineyard. Instead, Bouchard blends fruit from 17 different Beaune Premier Cru climats, with each parcel vinified separately before the final assemblage. This gives the wine a remarkably complete expression of Beaune, combining the perfume and finesse of the lighter sites with the structure and depth of the more powerful vineyards. The 2022 was hand-harvested, with approximately one-third fermented as whole clusters, before ageing for around 12–14 months in French oak, roughly one-third new.
The generous 2022 vintage has produced a particularly attractive version of Beaune du Château. Ripe cherry, raspberry, blackberry and plum are joined by peony, rose, sweet spice, liquorice, earth and subtle smoky oak. The palate is medium to full-bodied, with impressive fruit concentration balanced by fresh acidity, fine but substantial tannins and a gently saline finish. Critical reception is excellent for a wine at this level: 93 Points Decanter, 92 Points James Suckling, 90–92 Points Wine Advocate and 90 Points Wine Spectator. Decanter particularly praised the purity and structure of the wine and gave a drinking window extending from 2027 to 2055, while Wine Spectator suggests 2027–2038.
