Maison Bouchard Père & Fils

Maison Bouchard Père & Fils traces its origins to 1731, when Michel Bouchard, a cloth merchant, established himself in Beaune. In 1746 his son Joseph joined the business and began selling wines, and it was Joseph who purchased the family's first vineyard in 1775, a plot in Volnay Les Caillerets. During the French Revolution, Joseph's son Antoine-Philibert-Joseph seized the opportunity to extend the family's holdings when church and noble properties came up for sale, acquiring among other parcels the Beaune Grèves Vigne de l'Enfant Jésus in 1791. In 1820, Bernard Bouchard purchased the Château de Beaune, a former royal fortress, which became the house's enduring home. Further key terroir acquisitions followed throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries, including the Corton hill in 1909. By the 1980s the house had fallen on hard times, and in 1995 Joseph Henriot of the Champagne Henriot family purchased the business and initiated a comprehensive revival. Henriot invested in a new state-of-the-art winery (completed 2005) and restored Bouchard's reputation. After Henriot's death in 2015, his nephew Gilles de Larouzière Henriot led the group until October 2022, when the Pinault family's Artémis Domaines acquired a majority stake via a merger with Maisons & Domaines Henriot.

• Founded 1731 by cloth merchant Michel Bouchard; first vineyards acquired 1775 in Volnay Les Caillerets by son Joseph
• French Revolution expansion: Antoine-Philibert-Joseph acquired Beaune Grèves Vigne de l'Enfant Jésus (1791) and additional Beaune terroirs from auctioned church and noble lands
• 1820: Bernard Bouchard purchases the 15th-century Château de Beaune, a former royal fortress, as the house's permanent home and cellar
• 1995: Joseph Henriot acquires the estate and revives its reputation; October 2022: Artémis Domaines (François Pinault) takes majority control via merger with Maisons & Domaines Henriot

At its historical peak, Bouchard owned 130 hectares across 450 parcels, making it the largest proprietor of Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyards in the Côte d'Or, with holdings spanning over 48 kilometres from north to south. Following the Artémis Domaines merger in 2022, a major restructuring is underway. Artémis ceased purchasing grapes from 2024, refocusing the house exclusively on estate-grown wines. Approximately three hectares of Côte de Nuits Grand Cru parcels, including Bonnes-Mares, Les Chambertin, Echézeaux, and Chambolle-Musigny village wines, were transferred to Artémis-owned Domaine d'Eugénie in Vosne-Romanée. A further 35 hectares of the most prestigious Grand Cru and Premier Cru holdings, including Montrachet, Chevalier-Montrachet La Cabotte, Volnay Caillerets, and Vigne de l'Enfant Jésus, have been spun off into a new entity called Domaine des Cabottes, with wines released under that label from the 2023 vintage. Bouchard Père & Fils itself retains around 50 to 65 hectares, concentrated in Beaune, Meursault, Pommard, and Volnay, and continues to produce wines from its Savigny-lès-Beaune winery.

• Historical portfolio: 130 ha total, 12 ha Grand Cru (10 parcels), 74 ha Premier Cru (28 appellations), 44 ha village and regional; four monopole vineyards
• Post-2022: négociant activity ceased from 2024; Côte de Nuits Grand Crus (Bonnes-Mares, Les Chambertin, Echézeaux) transferred to Domaine d'Eugénie
• Domaine des Cabottes: new Artémis entity receiving 35 ha of top parcels including Montrachet, Chevalier-Montrachet La Cabotte, Volnay Caillerets, and Vigne de l'Enfant Jésus; first vintage under new label: 2023
• Remaining Bouchard estate: approximately 50 to 65 hectares concentrated in Côte de Beaune, including Beaune (50 ha farmed), Meursault, Pommard, and Volnay Premier Crus

Bouchard's winemaking combines Burgundian tradition with modern precision. All grapes are harvested by hand and transported in small 12 to 13 kg crates to preserve fruit integrity, then carefully sorted before vinification. Since 2005, all winemaking takes place at the Cuverie Saint Vincent, a state-of-the-art facility in Savigny-lès-Beaune. The vinification room sits five metres below ground, allowing grapes to be transferred into the 138 maceration tanks and presses entirely by gravity, avoiding mechanical stress. Over 100 individual parcels are vinified separately to express the unique character of each terroir. The aging cellar, located 10 metres underground, has a capacity of 4,000 barrels, providing ideal, naturally stable conditions of temperature and humidity. The house farms all its vineyards sustainably, and organic conversion has been underway across all parcels. Frédéric Weber, who joined Bouchard in 2002 and served as technical director, now leads the new Domaine des Cabottes entity, while Mickael Baroin, a member of Weber's team for a decade, serves as technical director for Bouchard Père & Fils.

• Cuverie Saint Vincent, Savigny-lès-Beaune (opened 2005): vinification room 5 metres underground; 138 tanks and presses; gravity transfer of fruit throughout
• Plot-by-plot vinification: over 100 individual parcels vinified separately; aging cellar at 10 metres depth with 4,000-barrel capacity
• All grapes hand-harvested in small 12 to 13 kg crates and sorted on arrival; vatting for reds typically 15 to 21 days depending on vintage
• Frédéric Weber (joined 2002, technical director from 2016) now heads Domaine des Cabottes; Mickael Baroin leads Bouchard Père & Fils winemaking

Bouchard's portfolio is anchored by a range of benchmark Burgundies that span both red and white expressions. The Beaune du Château cuvée, produced continuously since 1907, is a house exclusivity: the red combines 17 Premier Cru sites from around Beaune, while the white draws from five complementary parcels, all vinified individually before blending. On the Grand Cru tier, Bouchard's Le Corton and Corton-Charlemagne are consistently among the finest produced on the hill, with the Corton-Charlemagne sourced from 3.65 hectares on the upper east-facing slope, planted on yellow marl and limestone. Corton holdings were acquired in 1909 and Bouchard remains one of the largest and most important landowners on the Corton hill. In Beaune, the two Premier Cru monopoles, Clos de la Mousse and Clos Saint-Landry, offer textbook expressions of the commune's silky yet structured style. Following restructuring, the most celebrated parcels such as Vigne de l'Enfant Jésus and Volnay Caillerets now appear under the Domaine des Cabottes label, while Bouchard continues to produce a focused Côte de Beaune range.

• Beaune du Château (since 1907): red from 17 Premier Cru sites, white from 5 sites; each parcel vinified separately before blending into a house exclusivity
• Corton-Charlemagne: 3.65 ha on east-facing upper slope at altitude, planted on yellow marl and limestone; third largest owner of the appellation; Corton holdings acquired 1909
• Beaune monopoles: Clos de la Mousse (3.36 ha) and Clos Saint-Landry (1.98 ha) are Premier Cru monopoles entirely owned by Bouchard
• Post-2022: iconic cuvées including Vigne de l'Enfant Jésus and Volnay Caillerets transition to Domaine des Cabottes label from the 2023 vintage

Bouchard operates from the Château de Beaune, a former royal fortress whose earliest elements date to the 11th century and which was completed in the 15th century by King Louis XI. Bernard Bouchard purchased the château in 1820, recognising the extraordinary cellaring potential of its underground galleries and bastion chambers. The property has been listed on the Supplementary Inventory of French Historic Monuments since 1937, and four of the five original towers, together with sections of the ramparts, still stand today. The château's distinctive polychrome glazed tile roofs are characteristic of Burgundian architectural heritage. Beneath the fortress, the Bouchard family converted the underground galleries and bastions into wine cellars that descend to 10 metres below ground, providing naturally stable temperature and humidity for long-term aging. These cellars house a unique collection of over 2,000 bottles from the 19th century; the oldest wine in the collection is a Meursault Charmes 1846, alongside a Montrachet 1864 and a Beaune Grèves Vigne de l'Enfant Jésus 1865. The château serves as Bouchard's administrative headquarters, tasting room, and living archive of Burgundian vintage history.

• Château de Beaune: completed in the 15th century by King Louis XI; purchased by Bernard Bouchard in 1820; listed historic monument since 1937
• Four of five original towers intact; polychrome tile roofs characteristic of Burgundian architecture; underground galleries and bastions converted into wine cellars
• Cellars descend to 10 metres below ground; naturally stable temperature and humidity; aging cellar capacity of 4,000 barrels at Cuverie Saint Vincent
• Historic bottle collection: over 2,000 bottles from the 19th century, including Meursault Charmes 1846, Montrachet 1864, and Beaune Grèves Vigne de l'Enfant Jésus 1865

Bouchard Père & Fils has occupied a unique structural position in Burgundy for nearly three centuries, combining the scale of a major négociant with the quality ambition of a leading domaine. At the time of the Henriot acquisition in 1995, the estate was the largest classified vineyard proprietor in the Côte d'Or, and the subsequent modernisation under Joseph Henriot and winemaker Frédéric Weber transformed its reputation. The October 2022 merger with Artémis Domaines, majority-owned by François Pinault, brought Bouchard alongside Château Latour, Clos de Tart, Domaine d'Eugénie, and Château Grillet within a single premium group. Artémis moved quickly: négociant activity ceased from 2024, the most prestigious Grand Cru and Premier Cru parcels were reorganised into the new Domaine des Cabottes entity, and investments in vineyard management and cellar precision were substantially increased. Bouchard Père & Fils itself continues as an estate-only producer of Côte de Beaune wines, retaining its historic identity, Château de Beaune, the Cuverie Saint Vincent, and a focused portfolio of Beaune, Meursault, Pommard, and Volnay Premier Crus. This transformation marks one of the most consequential reorganisations in modern Burgundy.

• Largest classified vineyard proprietor in the Côte d'Or at the time of Henriot acquisition (1995); 130 ha across 450 parcels spanning 48 km
• Artémis Domaines majority acquisition (October 2022) joins Bouchard with Château Latour, Clos de Tart, Domaine d'Eugénie, and Château Grillet under the Pinault family group
• From 2024: négociant activity ceased; estate-only model adopted; Côte de Nuits Grand Crus transferred to Domaine d'Eugénie
• Domaine des Cabottes (announced 2025, first vintage 2023): new Artémis entity housing Bouchard's former Grand Cru and top Premier Cru parcels; new winery planned at Château de Puligny-Montrachet from 2027