Bouchard Père et Fils Beaune 1er Cru Clos du Roi 2018 is a Pinot Noir from Beaune’s northern sector in the Côte de Beaune. The premier cru climat is an early-ripening site; Decanter notes it sits “below Les Marconnets,” and adds that Bouchard owns “0.83ha.” Decanter also describes “rich clay and white limestone soils… just a thin layer over the bedrock,” a combination that helps explain the wine’s dark-fruited profile and structure in this warm, concentrated vintage.

In 2018, Bouchard began picking reds on 30 August, after a wet winter and a warm, dry summer. At the estate, winemaker Frédéric Weber described the reds as “similar to 2005 and 2009, but with rounder tannins and more concentration, more dark fruit,” a useful shorthand for the style drinkers can expect: ripe fruit, ample mid-palate weight, and a firm frame.

The best detailed published review is Decanter’s 91-point assessment (an excellent score in a demanding category). Decanter highlights a nose with “more earthy, leafy notes,” then a palate showing “powerful black fruit character… with firmer tannin structure,” finishing “long and persistent… slightly drying in character.” Decanter also reports élevage of “12–14 months in oak with 30–40% new,” consistent with the faintly assertive structure.

Wine Spectator’s 90-point review finds the wine “settling in nicely,” with “fading notes of cherry, earth, autumn woods and tobacco.” It emphasizes that the wine “is still firm, with a touch of new oak and a mouthwatering finish,” and recommends drinking “now through 2035.”

Overall, Clos du Roi 2018 reads as a traditionally grounded Beaune Premier Cru—dark-leaning fruit, earth and woodland complexity, and tannins that keep it honest—best suited to the table and to further cellaring for those who prefer a more resolved texture.