Magnum Beaune du Château, 1.Cru, Monopole Bouchard Père & Fils 2012

150 cl (beautiful 60 cm high bottle). 16.5p / Guide Bettane (+ Coup de Coeur), 90p / Galloni mv. 2012 is superb on the domain, the largest privately owned on the Côte d'Or with 7 * (of 7) in Gault-Millau - and largest owner of 1.Crus in Beaune together with Hospices de Beaune.
Beaune du Château is a 1.Cru blend from 17 different 1. Crus over Beaune, with the emphasis on Grèves, Sizies, Mouches, Aigrots and Bressandes. The wine shows the essence of what Beaune can do best, and winemaker Frédéric Weber (photo) is free to play with the 26 hectares used for the wine (some are used for the 2nd wine Beaune 1.Cru and the beautiful 3rd wine Beaune "Domaine" ). The wine has been made since 1907, and thus has 114 vintages behind it!
Bouchard Père et Fils was founded in 1731 and is therefore one of Burgundy's oldest wine producers. The first vineyard was purchased in 1775 by Joseph Bouchard and this still owns the domain; for it is the famous "Les Caillerets", which is located in Volnay. Since this purchase, things have happened. Today, Bouchard is the largest vineyard owner in the Cote d'Or, which means that they have, among other things, 12 hectares of Grand Cru and 74 hectares of Premier Cru. In 1995, Joseph Henriot bought into Bouchard, and he was a man with a plan. A new winery had to be built and more money had to be invested in the fields. In 2005, the new winery was completed. A 3-storey underground building, where gravity takes care of transporting the wine through the various processes of vinification. State-of-the-art, but with respect for the old traditions, so that their many wines can each express the different terroir one finds in Burgundy.
The wine costs approx. DKK 400 - for 75cl - and a Magnum will usually cost double + DKK 30-40 for the heavy bottle, so this wine is a bit of a find for the price.