Tasted in Meursault with Guillaume Lavollée, 05 November 2020.
Domaine Génot-Boulanger
25 rue de Citeaux
21190 Meursault
Tel: +33 3 80 21 49 20
www.genot-boulanger.com
More reports for Domaine Génot-Boulanger
Guillaume of Génot-Boulanger showed some lovely Puligny’s earlier this year. This was a chance to catch-up on their much wider range.
Guillaume on 2019:
“A vintage that was relatively easy from the perspective of work in the vines and with not too early a harvest date. There was a small amount of frost in Puligny and in Corton too but we made a proper yield – probably because most of our vines are on the hillside. Harvesting began 10 September finishing 12 days later. We’ve got a lot of young vines, under 10 years old as we had a campaign of replanting when we first came to the domaine, so these are more susceptible to the heat – so were usually harvested first. We were harvesting both colours at the same time in 2019 – unlike the vintages either side – the maturity of the two was practically identical in 2019.
“There were very different timings for the maturities depending on where the vines were but 2019 was a vintage where the yields were practically identical in most of our vineyards – about 30 hl/ha – of course a that’s a very low-yielding vintage, but it was the same from Mercurey to Chambolle!”
The wines…
A strong result from this domaine in 2019. Many reds are excellent, but overall I give the trophy to the whites here…
The domaine has 9 hectares planted to white, 13 to red, but that brings about the same volume of wine for the two colours. Nothing bottled except a small cuvée here or there – Bourgogne to fulfil some orders – but most not done – reds march, whites April is the plan. 10-15% new oak for all the reds:
2019 Mercurey 1er Saumon
1.7 ha south-facing, young vines – 6-years-old vines.
Open, red-fruited, faintly spiced complexity. The beautiful texture is the first impression. Sweet but delicious, a very nice width of flavour here with a modest finishing tannin on the tip of the tongue.
2019 Mercurey 1er Les Sazenay
1988 pinot fin for about half, the rest planted in 2014 – much more limestone and a cooler place, east-facing versus the last wine.
Deeper, less spice complexity a nose that’s more about the purity of the fruit. More airy, a subtle base of very fine tannin. Wider and more intense finishing. That same touch of tannin on the tip the tongue.
2019 Pommard
Three parcels – each with separate elevage – 50% Cras (1930s vines), plus Vignots and Chanière. Since 2017 100% destemmed before that there were multiple tests with whole clusters.
Relatively modest colour. A nicely perfumed nose. Deeper and more incisive start to this wine – widening, long finishing no wc but I would guess otherwise. That’s beautifully long.
2019 Volnay Vieilles-Vignes
Bottom of slope but bordering the 1ers – ‘so more structure than our Pommard’ – from Aussey & Echards
The nose here is finely perfumed, modestly supported by the red fruit in this case. fine shape, more direct and cooler fruited. Yes, a fine structure – I love the shape of this – the definition. Faintly saline – very long. Excellent wine…
2019 Chambolle-Musigny
Mombies et Nazoires – a mix haf-half of older (1960s) and yourger (2009) vines.
A very modest colour. A deep nose due to a small reduction. Beautiful scale – mouth-filling but also ethereal. A really fine intensity of finishing flavour. The structure slightly different from that of the Côte de Beaunes, but in total not a massively different result – still, excellent wine.
2019 Beaune 1er Grèves
1 ha – oldest vines of the domaine – south of the climat, high up just under the Clos St.Anne
The nose starts slightly reductive but opens its arms wider and wider with aeration. I like the shape here, a modest richness of flavour but mobile and energetic against a backdrop of a decently open architecture/structure supporting a more mineral finish.
2019 Volnay 1er Roncerets
Actually in Aussey and it’s a high proportion of clay here so the vines suffer less in the heat.
That’s a pretty wine – not fully open but with an airy precision to the aromas. Wider, more vibrant, melting, beautifully mobile flavours. Super Volnay
2019 Aloxe-Corton Clos du Chapitre
In les Meix with Franck Folin-Arbelet – half each in this 2ha clos – the soil dominated by its limestone.
Hmm – that’s a beautiful depth of elegant red fruit aroma. Wide, cool-fruited – there’s energy to this fruit too. The tannin barely visible but the intensity of delicious fruit is overt. Wide, a little structural but finishing also with a certain vibration of flavour.
2019 Pommard 1er Clos Blanc
0.3 ha – smallest 1er of the domaine
A width of modest red fruit – again quite airy in style. Another wine with a coolness of fruit – nicely wide. Finishing a little narrower with a faint astringence of tannin but no grain. A simply delicious Pommard.
Rapet and Tollot-Beaut the other owners here – but blended in their ‘generic ‘Cortons’
A much higher-toned and complex nose – a faint touch of reduction too. Mouth-filling but an ethereal, so elegant, style. Floral inflexions to this red fruit. Long and fine finishing – bravo but will you believe that it’s Corton?
2019 Clos de Vougeot
The deepest soil of CV – Baudes Basses – bottom left. Nearest the road is the deepest clay, higher on the slope it becomes lighter and a shows more limestone – no problems experienced from the dryness for this part.
Another world aromatically; darker, sleeker fruit. Surprisingly easy and a little sweet in the mouth – I’m looking for the structure and maybe it’s in there – there’s easy, delicious mouth-watering fruit – no doubt, but I’m also looking for a little CV rigour – but I’m not finding it. The finish has width and a little tannin. The wine is hyper-elegant for CV.
Les Blancs:
2019 Beaune Lulune
1.2 ha now all white, they had some red here previously.
Hmm – that’s a nicely vibrant nose; a slightly golden, riper, citrus fruit. Fresh, direct, nicely layered fruit. Classically for 2019, touched by a little tannin in the finish. Very tasty and also finely balanced wine.
2019 Savigny-lès-Beaune Blanc
Equal parcels each of Goudoulettes, Golardes and Saucours blended – making about 0.5 ha
A little extra freshness, almost a phenolic. Super clarity – a purity of flavour – width too. A slowly moving ripple of medium intensity but fine waves of finishing flavour – a beauty for SLBB!
Hmm – that’s a beautiful nose, wide and extremely fine. Delicate and robust at the same time – melting with purity of flavour. Love that width – another vote for Savigny – bravo!
2019 Meursault Clos du Cromin
1.5 ha – the part closest to Meursault village – plenty of clay but the limestone is quickly found below.
A mineral width, an almost reductive vibration to this aroma. Bright, nice attack to this wine – mouth-watering with growing intensity. Holding very well. A very fine villages Meursault – no doubt.
The last climat before the border with Auxey-Duresses
A nice freshness of aroma – not so wide but still the invitation. Much more mouth-watering, a modest agrume flavour in the mix – just a juicy delicious thing. Totally recommended – bravo!
2019 Puligny-Montrachet Levrons
Hmm, deep – a little reductive. There’s some concentration, some impact here. The first where I (think I) taste some oak. But a long vibrato of a finish that’s super.
2019 Puligny-Montrachet Nosroyes
Higher part close to Clos de la Mouchère, second largest cuvée after Clos de Cromin for the domaine
A more sombre width of aroma after the Leuvrons – but still a fine texture to this yellow citrus width. Also calm in the mouth – but at the same time, it’s very mouth-watering and slightly structural. Holds a great, indeed impressive, finish.
2019 Chassagne 1er Les Vergers
A more open width of aroma, faintly spiced. Bigger, fresher, more mineral – that’s a fine and proper step up to 1er cru. Faintly spiced – more warm spice/pepper than a Meursault ginger. Very delicious.
2019 Meursault 1er Bouchères
2nd largest owner after Roulot
Hmm – that’s a lovely depth of very fine aroma – beautifully Meursault. Hmm (again), that’s showing very well, a little touch of zesty citrus skin here. Gorgeously prolonged in the finish.
2019 Puligny-Montrachet 1er La Garenne
Old vines, never a large rendement but very consistent.
A smaller nose that the Bouchères, slightly fumé. This is a structural wine, beautifully mouth-watering but not yet fully ready – the flavour still melting from that structure – it will come and this might be my favourite so far when it does.
Bottom, south in Au Chaniots
That’s showing a beautiful mineral depth, a suggestion of the floral too. That’s seriously good – mineral, open refreshing, complex – Bravo!
Plain west-facing above the cross of Charlemagne. Plenty of sources even up there so never a problem with dryness despite what the look of the soil might suggest.
Really a floral perfume lifting from the glass – that’s seriously impressive – it’s a flower day! There’s a proper structure here, but the flavour melts in a very fine way from this framework. That’s a top CC in 2019.
