Sometimes a dinner invitation arrives in your inbox that practically forces you to reschedule whatever else you were planning on that evening. So when I was invited to attend a wine tasting and dinner featuring the world-renowned wines of Bouchard Père et Fils, the 6:00 spin class on my calendar would just have to wait another 24 hours.

Not only would these highly sought-after French wines be in attendance that evening, but the winery’s cellar master, Frédéric Weber, would also be present. I had last seen Weber in New York one week before the pandemic shut down the world, so it would be a great opportunity to catch up with him.

The dinner was hosted by The Wine and Food Society of New York, the oldest U.S. chapter of the International Wine & Food Society, a London-based association founded in 1933 for gastronomes. The New York branch prides itself on hosting one-of-a-kind educational events, including luncheons, dinners, tastings, and tours. This one was being held at a Manhattan restaurant I had raved about in October 2020, New NYC Restaurant: Wicked Jane.

Note: The word Bourgogne has been translated to English as Burgundy. However, the region is now making an effort to be known once again solely as its original name, Bourgogne.

Oldie But Goodie

Bouchard Père & Fils was established in 1731 in Beaune, in the French region of Bourgogne. One of the oldest and largest wine estates in the region, Bouchard’s holdings include 320 acres of vineyards, most of which are Premier and Grand Cru. The company is also a négociant, meaning it purchases grapes from smaller growers to produce some of its wines.

However, after 300 years of history, Bouchard Père & Fils's biggest pride lies in its beautiful collection of estate vineyards in the Côte d’Or, the “golden coast,” from which many of the world’s top Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays hail.

**Weber explains the Terroir of the Corton Hill.**

The Importance of Terroir

“In Bourgogne, terroir is a very important word,” says Weber. “We call the individual plots climats. Many people think terroir is the nature of the soil, which is partly true as there are multiple types of soil in Bourgogne: clay, limestone, and gravel. But there are other key aspects, like altitude, exposition (east, south, or west-facing), and microclimate. For us, the most important aspect of terroir is the people who cultivate each plot. These people have transmitted their knowledge generation after generation for over a thousand years, and that's why in Bourgogne, we have an incredible amount of knowledge for each vine.”

“For my team and I, vinifying these wines is just a dream,” says Weber.

Yet it is Weber’s expert winemaking that has elevated Bouchard Père & Fils’ expression of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay to be among the finest in the region.

Reds, then Whites

The pre-dinner tasting held a spotlight on the 2018 vintage and, contrary to usual wine tasting protocol, began with four reds, followed by four whites.

“It's a tradition at Bouchard,” says Weber, “to start by tasting the reds and then the whites. Pinot Noir is more elegant, and the purity of the fruit is very important. Chardonnay is more powerful, with a lot of fruitiness and minerality in the finish. After tasting the whites, it's difficult to evaluate the reds.”

The Exciting 2018 Vintage

About Bourgogne’s 2018 vintage, Weber said it was a “fantastic one” with all the right conditions, starting with a rainy winter that ensured the groundwater would last throughout the growing season. June and July were warm, and August was hot, giving Bouchard’s reds a beautiful and powerful expression of fruit with the capability for long-term aging, and giving the whites beautiful acidity and freshness of fruit despite warm conditions.

“The 2018 reds are similar to 2005 and 2009, but with rounder tannins and more concentration, more dark fruit; a greater definition of terroir,” says Weber. “The whites are closer to 2015, with good expression but a bit more tense. It is definitely a vintage that will age well.”

In such optimal conditions, grapes in Bourgogne grew abundantly. Weber said it was essential in 2018 to conduct a green harvest, a process in which the winegrower cuts off excess bunches of grapes to allow better ripeness and concentration of the remaining grapes. “For us,” says Weber, “it's really important to express the terroir with good concentration.”

**A special treat was brought to the table by Geoffrey Troy, owner of** **New York Wine Warehouse**.

During a warm growing season, it is very important to harvest the grapes when they reach perfect maturity, before becoming too ripe. Weber says that choosing the best date for harvesting each plot is of vital importance, and so he spends a lot of time In the vineyards, especially in July and August, to observe and taste the berries.

“Even though we have a laboratory in the winery,” says Weber, “it's very important to understand first-hand the nature of the skin and the seeds and the quality of the tannins before the vinification.”

Adapting to 2018’s warmer conditions, he decided to harvest at the end of August. “Usually, we harvest in September,” he says, “but more and more, with global warming, we have to harvest in August.”

While it’s still early to judge Bourgogne’s 2018s, early reports suggest that the vintage has the makings of a legendary one. And based on this tasting of Bouchard Père and Fils’s 2018s, it is evident that the vintage will go down in history as one of the finest.

“For our 2018 vintage,” says Weber, “you will see that the red wines have a beautiful fruit expression. The whites, too, are certainly one of the most beautiful vintages we've had, with a true expression of Chardonnay but also with beautiful acidity and freshness.”

For a detailed report on the wines tasted, see Bouchard Père et Fils 2018 Vintage: Eight Wines to Take Note Of.