The Vine of the Infant Jesus in the History of France

The Vineyard of the Infant Jesus is an enclave in the heart of the Beaune premier cru Les Grèves, one of the most renowned in the appellation .

Cuvée emblematic of the maison Beaune Bouchard Père et Fils, the Beaune premier cru Les Grèves Vigne de l'Enfant Jésus is among the finest Burgundy terroirs, capable of producing century-old red wines. But it is also a plot of land that firmly places Burgundy within the grand history of France. Married to Anne of Austria in 1615, the young Louis XIII still had no heir after thirty years of marriage. In the autumn of 1637, the royal couple passed to Beaune At the Carmelite convent in the city, a nun predicted to the couple that upon their return to Paris, Anne of Austria would be pregnant. The royal procession began its journey home, and on September 5, 1638, in Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Anne of Austria gave birth to the one who would be known as the Sun King: Louis XIV. In gratitude, the queen donated to the Carmelite convent of Beaune of a statuette of the Infant Jesus and a four-hectare plot of vineyard in Beaune Strikes. During the French Revolution, in 1791, the vineyards were confiscated and then sold as national property. Created in 1731 by Michel Bouchard, the maison Bouchard began investing in the vineyard in 1775, under the impetus of Joseph Bouchard, son of Michel; the vineyard of the Infant Jesus was purchased shortly after, in 1791.

The four historic hectares

There maison has other plots in Les Grèves, but even today the cuvée of Beaune Grèves Vigne de l'Enfant Jésus is produced exclusively from grapes grown on the four historic hectares. The vineyard is therefore an enclave in the heart of the vast Grèves lieu-dit (approximately thirty hectares), surrounding a small maison Renovated by Bouchard Père et Fils in the 1990s, it is surrounded by walls on three sides: west, east, and north. The average age of the vines is around forty years; it should be noted that the vineyard was planted on a plot established in 1961. maison takes grafts of pinot noir to make her selection, which she then uses to replant her first and grand cru vines. The surface soil, about twenty centimeters deep, consists of gravel (beef shoals…), without clay, over a subsoil of cracked slabs. “The soil is never too wet, nor too dry; it’s one of the easiest vineyards in the region.” domaine to work,” explains Christophe Bouchard, the last Bouchard to have managed the maison in the mid-2010s. The wine of the Infant Jesus is exceptional. We were fortunate enough to taste some very old vintages, notably from the… 19th century, which evoke the breed of a grand cru rouge From Burgundy: aromatic complexity and finesse, strength without brutality, silky texture, distinction and harmony. Pure class.

Christophe Tupinier

Christophe TUPINIER

Publishing Director