2019 Champans and Clos de Chenes from Bouley - Very Small Allocations of the Stunning 2019s

 2019 Vintage in Burgundy
 - The Best Vintage Since 2010
 - Will Drink Well Young
 - Very Small Quantities

2019 Pierrick Bouley Volnay 1er Cru "Clos du Chenes"
 - 93 Points, Burghound
 - "powerful flavors that coat the palate with sappy dry extract" BH
 - "very firmly structured and serious finale" BH

2019 Pierrick Bouley Volnay 1er Cru "Les Champans"
 - 92 Points, Burghound
 - "black cherry, spice and raspberry scented nose" BH

  - "racy, intense and beautifully detailed flavors" BH

The 2019 Vintage

The verdict is in. 2019 Red Burgs are the best vintage since 2010 and the quantities are down 60% in some cases. 2018 was such a plentiful vintage and 2019 is the complete opposite. I've never seen such a rush to reserve as 2019 and in fact with my big 4 (Briseet, Buffet, Rebourgeon and Buffet) all wines are reserved already. This is nuts. Some I can taste others I cannot as the plight of tariffs, Covid-19 and frost have made some growers tighten the sample belt.  I will not be tasting any of Pierrick Bouley 2019s before they arrive and even then it is in doubt as I'm sure I'll sell out. But I have tasted Brisset's 19s and that has given me a gauge of what the wines taste like. 

A few comments. 

1.) These will drink well young. Not in a super ripe vintage way like 15 and lower end 18s but in a balanced way like how some 10s drank well early before shutting down. 

2.) Generally if you bought 18 Bouley's from me drink the 17s and the 19s while the 18s rest. The 19s will age very very well but it's not a crime to drink them young as the suave silky fruit and ripe, succulent tannins ensure great young drinking. 

3.) Age the whites. They are not for drinking young. They have an acid/mineral core that needs time to develop. 

4.) Pierrick has strictly allocated me his wines and whatever I have, I have. There is a 2-3% chance I can get some more. 

5.) He did not raise his prices for the first vintage in a while. 

The 2019 Vintage at Bouley

"As the ratings suggest, I was very favorably impressed with the quality I found here in 2019, in fact they
could well be the best wines that I have ever seen from Pierrick."  - Burghound

The Wines

Today I've got two of Pierrick's most iconic wines and they are strictly allocated. This is the 8th vintage of each I've sold and possibly the best. I don't know, I haven't tasted them and likely never will. Pierrick is a super star in France now and has a new small NY distributor so his wines are increasingly in high demand. Both of today's wines got very high scores from Burghound the stingy. 

First up is the 2019 Pierrick Bouley Volnay 1er Cru "Clos du Chenes" for $103.99 a bottle on a 3-pack. This is arguably Pierrick's best wine and in 2019 it got a 93 from Burghound. This is very limited. 

"A ripe, very spicy and more expressive nose more freely reveals its aromas of plum, dark pinot fruit, earth and soft floral elements. There is fine volume and richness to the bigger-bodied and more powerful flavors that coat the palate with sappy dry extract that also serves to buffer the very firmly structured and serious finale. As is typical for this wine, I would strongly suggest not touching this excellent effort for at least 7 to 8 years and if held longer, it should abundantly reward 15+." - 93 Points, Burghound 

Next up is the 2019 Pierrick Bouley Volnay 1er Cru "Les Champans" for $103.99 a bottle on a 3-pack. Usually this has a more forward profile and can be enjoyed young but the glory of a mature Champans cannot be underestimated. But beware I have so few bottles so whatever you decide to do remember this is as rare as it gets. This got 92 points from Burghound the Stingy and his review is below. 

"A background whiff of reduction doesn't significantly impede an appreciation of the black cherry, spice and raspberry scented nose. The racy, intense and beautifully detailed flavors flash more evident minerality on the firm, serious and youthfully austere finish. This linear effort is quite compact today and I would strongly suggest allowing this at least some cellar time to unwind and flesh out." - 92 Points, Burghound 

2019 Pierrick Bouley Volnay 1er Cru "Clos du Chenes" - $105.99 ($311.97 3-Pack) (*Including Tariff of $12.92) 2019 Pierrick Bouley Volnay 1er Cru "Les Champans" - $105.99 ($311.97 3-Pack) (*Including Tariff of $12.92)