Tasted in Meursault with Vincent Boyer, 16 November 2020.
Domaine Boyer-Martenot
17, place de l’Europe
21190 Meursault
Tel: +33 3 80 21 26 25
www.boyer-martenot.com
Vincent Boyer is the 4th generation at this 10-hectare domaine in Meursault, but the family have been here on the Place de l’Europe since the 1800s.
It was the Spanish Flu that spelt the end for Vincent’s great-grandfather, so it was his wife who really started the domaine – with 300 ouvrées at the time – that’s nearly 13 hectares. The vines were then split to between two brothers – one of whom was Vincent’s grandfather – who married a girl from Puligny. Vincent’s father, a Boyer, also married into another winemaking family, the Martentots.
The domaine’s vines are all in family, except one parcel from the commune of Meursault, in ‘Chaumes’ which the commune offered for exploitation by young vignerons. The domaine produces 90% white wine, 1925 being the oldest plot of vines, sitting behind the domaine.
Vincent has been here since 2002, his mum did the admin for quite a time, though has recently retired, so his sister joined him at the domaine – she is mainly looking after the vines, while Vincent is responsible in the cuverie and for commercialisation – before he did the vines too. The domaine’s vines are ploughed and from next year will labelled AB (organic).
Starting from the 2017 vintage, the domaine has two years of elevage for their whites; one year in barrel with no additions of sulfur before the malo is completed – this sulfur ‘regime’ unchanged since 2013. Foudres and concrete eggs are used for the second part of elevage – 15 ‘eggs’ in two sizes plus a bank of foudres too – it looks very impressive! “There’s a little batonnage too, depending on how the wines taste, but generally I want to touch the wine as little as possible.”
90% of the domaine’s production is exported – the US is a major market.
Vincent on 2019:
“No frost, but still not a high yield – mainly due to the dryness – it was like that in 2020 too, but in 2020 we started with more grapes on the vines!”
The wines…
Clearly Vincent likes his eggs a lot, and why not, there are some super wines in the cellar here. I like the style of the wines presented, though more-so those that are not showing the domaine’s smoky oak signature, that said, the oak is rather tasty and probably will have disappeared completely after 2-3 years! All are well-balanced, fresh and energetic. Wines that are worth your time.
20-30% new oak for the wines, except their Bourgognes which use older barrels. Natural cork is used here, “But the best that I can get. Call it the last chance for corks! I buy corks that are a little bit thicker than the normal 24mm width. I’ve been doing that for 3 years and so far am satisfied. The bottle tops are waxed – both hermetic and pretty! And not heavy bottles, that’s not our carbon footprint idea with all that we export.” Amen, that!
Vines from 15-80 years old, elevage starts in older barrels then is finished in the concrete eggs.
Nicely floral – thats very pretty. Ooh, that’s a super attractive wine, none of the harshness or metallic edges that many show. Easy but absolutely delicious. Bravo
This from foudre, all the vines in the commune of Meursault, this the first vintage with a Côte d’Or label.
A much smaller nose but fine and clean. In the mouth too – direct, open – the energy and acidity are lovely – thats a great Bourgogne too – I love the finish here. Very high quality…
2019 Meursault Cuvée Fernand Boyer
Named after Vincent’s grandfather. A blend of 4 parcels.
Wider, more floral, still very attractive. A little extra width in the mouth too + beautifully mouth-watering. Here showing a little smoky oak, but I have to say in very tasty fashion. Excellent, delicious villages.
2019 Meursault Chaumes (de Perrieres)
More vertical, higher-toned aroma, again with a fine floral impression. Fuller in the middle, slowly opening, more mineral, good but less overt energy vs the last. There’s more depth to the flavour here, almost layered, but in the end, I still slightly prefer the last wine. More mineral length here.
2019 Meursault Les Tillets
A more airy and open nose. Ooh, that’s a beautiful line of cool-fruited, fresh flavour. More rigour here, more structure – a touch of the barrel like the Meursault blend – not noted in the last. Complex and tasty finishing – very long…
2019 Meursault Narvaux
A width of more subtle aroma, becoming slowly floral. More open still, a little structural but easier than the Narvaux. That’s a really super finish – holding a deliciously mineral finishing note.
2019 Meursault En L‘Ormeaux
A deeper, fuller nose, as befits a wine from the flats with more clay in the soil. This is bright, fresh and energetic, very tasty and properly Meursault-flavoured finishing – really excellent wine today.
2019 Puligny-Montrachet
Les Reuchaux near Charmes
Extra-wide, a floral and forward nose. Open, nice energy, very mouth-watering – almost juicy, a touch of that smoky oak in the middle and finishing flavours. Really tasty finishing. Super! Really long…
2019 Meursault 1er Les Charmes
Three parcels, one near Genevrières, one in the middle near Puligny and a last next to Limozin
This nose shows a little gas and is quite compact. But in the mouth, this is very wide and energetic, a little structure too. Not showing a lot today but it has freshness and balance.
2019 Meursault 1er Genevrières
Also a compact nose to start with. More mouth-filling, more complex showing, faintly touched by the domaine’s smoky oak. Wide and insistent finishing – that’s not a big finish but it’s a very long finish – super here but still needs to open more…
Above the quarry towards Puligny – lots of active limestone here
Very floral – like all from the foudres. Tension, complexity, delicious flavour. A wine with drive and tons of flavour complexity. That’s a great finish, slightly floral too – bravo!
2019 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Caillerets
On the Meursault side of the vineyard, across from the large tree. Vincent’s grand-mother bought this in the 1980s, 1987 the first vintage.
Not from a foudre, but very floral. Ooh, thats got the special Caillerets ‘melting structure’ over the palate. A wine with much in common with the domaine’s Perrières, but less weighty, more airy. Very wide finishing a super wine.
Les Reds:
2019 Bourgogne Côte d’Or
Near Sous la Velle, towards Puligny
A pretty and punchy red fruit nose, tending to perfume. Easy, open, delicious pinot fruit without overt structure but plenty delicious!
2019 Auxey-Duresses Au Eccuseaux
More high toned attack to these aromas. Extra drive here in the mouth too. Delicious, showing the domaine’s oak but it’s tasty.
2019 Meursault (Rouge)
Just 2 barrels in Pellans near Puligny. Grandfather was from Pommard and married a Ropiteau, he planted this as he wanted more red.
Wider, more depth of red fruit. A little more structural but only a fine grain of tannin. A very pretty finish.
2019 Pommard
Not as forward a nose. Pretty red fruit though – this a Clos in the village, near Rugiens. Here is much more mouth-filling scale of flavour. Faintly tannic, plenty of freshness. Thats a lovely mouthful of wine. A fine finish too. Thats a beautiful villages wine – presence and structure but not too much. Tasty finishing.