Tasted in Meursault with Guillaume Lavollée, 18 November 2022.
Domaine Génot-Boulanger
25 rue de Citeaux
21190 Meursault
Tel: +33 3 80 21 49 20
www.genot-boulanger.com
More reports with Domaine Génot-Boulanger
Guillaume on 2022:
“2022 – very happy. A bit lower volume than ‘perfect’ but great for the quality.”
Guillaume on 2021:
“Of course, the quantity of 2021s makes discussions with clients ‘delicate’ – but the wines are bringing us lots of pleasure. The obvious factor of the vintage is 25,000 of wine from the 110,000 bottles we will produce in 2022! We search for vigour in our vines and of course that means the growth is early – so when the frost comes… In 2021 we already had a few cm of growth – we directly lost 75% – some hillside vines got through the rain that followed in not bad shape but ‘weakened’ vines in the less draining sectors meant we were fighting the maladies but rather than mildew and oïdum it was botrytis that caused problems with an outbreak in August. We made a number of assemblies this year as volumes were so low, or in some cases, we declassified into the ’basic’ villages label. We did a little pigeage with the reds but only when the alcoholic fermentation was done. Most of the work in 2021 was to assure the vines for 22, choosing the right shoots to favour – shoots usually with no grapes! The only vines that escaped the frost were our Clos de Vougeot. There’s been no bottling at this stage – we’re tasting everything this week from tank, and it’s likely the reds will start bottling early in 2023 and the whites closer to spring.”
The wines…
Despite the challenges offered by the 2021 vintage, Guillaume has continued this domaine’s run of impressively high-quality – wines of both colour and of all price points that are worth searching out. Well done
No new barrels at all in 2021 – normally there’s about 10-15%:
2021 Mercurey 1er Les Sazenay
1988 pinot fin for about half, the rest planted in 2014 – 1.5 hectares worth – limestone and a cool place, east-facing.
Round, cushioned red fruit – a little strawberry in style. Fine texture to this width of flavour, super intensity in the middle then slowly fading. Holding very well.
2021 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
In the plain below Pommard, deep, clay soil, old vines, normally with not the largest production – in 2021 just 8 hl/ha
Hmm – nice clarity and even a little mint to this nose. Extra silk and volume in the mouth – very faintly framed with some tannin. Nice finishing complexity with some faint bitters – that’s a very lovely regional!
2021 Pommard Vieilles-Vignes
Three parcels – each, usually, with separate elevage – 50% Cras (1930s vines), plus Vignots and Chanière – over 2 ha in total. Since 2017 100% destemmed before that there were multiple tests with whole clusters. This year all vinified together
A silky width of aroma – with a suggestion of reduction but still with lovely clarity to this fruit. Yes a bit reductive but this has a nice wiry muscle and structure too – broad and concentrated finishing. Holding very well. That’s a super wine – keep it in your cellar for 2-3 yewars before attacking…
Bottom of slope but bordering the 1ers – ‘so more structure than our Pommard’ – from Aussey & Echards, Usually labelled VV but in this vintage, it also includes the young vines, plus their Roncerets 1er cru…
That’s got a very pretty red fruit nose – not powerful but a great invitation. Broad, silken – open – gorgeous flavours here – slightly creamy in style – oh that’s so good – a finish to die for despite a hint of finishing bitters. Bravo villages!
2021 Beaune 1er Grèves
1 ha – the oldest vines of the domaine – south of the climat, high up just under the Clos St.Anne
A vertical nose, again a little menthol but fine red fruit too – lovely aromatic depth. Broader, much more mouth-filling – some of the structure of Grèves but with energy and clarity of flavour. That’s just a beautiful wine – calm and wide finishing – in the manner of the previous Volnay. Very classy Greves – excellent wine.
2021 Aloxe-Corton Clos du Chapitre
In les Meix with Franck Folin-Arbelet – half each in this 2ha clos – the soil dominated by its limestone. Much more old vines in the cuvée this year as the young vines were more precocious so were hardest hit by the frost
A broader width of faintly spiced red fruit. Direct, extra mineral, long, almost a vibration of flavour fading into the distance – another excellent wine in this direct quite mineral style.
2021 Pommard 1er Clos Blanc
0.3 ha – smallest 1er of the domaine . half terres rouges, half terres blanc
A fuller nose – less spice and more perfume. Very classy, very silky, ultra-mouthwatering wine of minerality and a sneakily growing cushion of pure red fruit. Structured but only subtly so – the finish is long, intense and a little creamy. That’s a really excellent Pommard!
2021 Chambolle-Musigny
Mombies et Nazoires – 1/3 young vines the rest from 50s and 60s – 2 parcels from very limestone soils.
A little extra aromatic intensity in the top notes but still with clarity too. A little more generosity and volume to these flavours – chalking finishing too – simply another excellent wine.
The deepest soil of CV – Baudes Basses – bottom left. Nearest the road is the deepest clay, higher on the slope it becomes lighter and shows more limestone.
A broad swather of fine aroma – suggesting spice but much more complexity too. Gorgeous in the mouth – open, so fluid, so juicy – I could drink this today despite impressive middle and finishing intensity. A real beauty – bravo – remembered with a faint rasp on tannin on the tongue!
Les Blancs:
“Yes worse than 2016 here – two things saved us a little in 16 – Puligny wasn’t touched and we have 3ha there – nothing was spared in 2021. I like to work with the lees – plenty of lees – for the whites but I had to reduce this a little in 21 as there were many maladies in the vineyards:”
2021 Beaune En Lulune
1.2 ha now all white, they had some red here previously.
Such a broad, open, generous nose – some ripeness and golden style to this fruit. A little more structured and impressive than the nose suggests – not a simple wine, one of construction and complexity, rather than generosity. That’s another super wine.
Equal parcels each of Goudoulettes, Golardes and Saucours blended – making about 0.5 ha – unfortunately for the domaine also their 1er Les Vergelesses in this vintage – an early growing area.
A breadth of aroma once more, not quite spiced – but close. A slightly reductive width that’s very mineral and classy – depth of mouth-watering flavour here – the agrumes present but discrete. Great finishing and, potentially, a great villages wine.
1.5 ha – the part closest to Meursault village – plenty of clay but the limestone is quickly found below.
Hmm, spiced, deeply aromatic – partly due to some noble reduction. Broad, vibrant wine – faintly tannic, spiced, classic Meursault – bravo!
2021 Puligny-Montrachet Levrons
The black clays here make this a late starting place so completely avoided the frost.
Broader, more incisive, still with a little noble reduction. Cool fruit, calmer than the first impression of the Cromin but similarly juicy in the middle and finishing flavours – a hint more austerity – citrus skin bitters – in this finish so I’d wait a little longer to open but an excellent wine with fine intensity.
2021 Puligny-Montrachet Les Noirots
This nose is narrower than the Levrons – but deep and again with that faint noble reduction the top notes more spiced. More incisive to start – a bit more energy on dsplay here too – a more herbed complexity that mixes with heavier citrus notes – impressive and also for keeping a little while, also a little tannin on the end of my tongue!
2 parcels here; one in the Clos st Marc – the older vines – and a younger vine (2002) in Pascquelles – ‘the balance comes from assembling them. Clos St.Jean and Chenevottes were completely ‘harvested by the frost’ but here could find enough grapes as the soil is cooler here.’
Broader more generous aromatics – very inviting with a hint of sweetness but nothing exotic. Mouth-filling, melting, open – almost fluid in style – just a beautiful shape and mouth-watering style – a bottle of this wouldn’t last very long on my table – bravo!
Old vines, never a large rendement but usually very consistent. This and the Folatières are the only wines still in barrel as their volumes are so small.
Because it’s still in the barrel the width is more here with a little more visible sweetness too. Supple, super texture, super minerality and growing intensity – when this tightens in tank you will certainly have something with an extra, alluring, strictness. That will be great!
2021 Meursault 1er Bouchères
2nd largest owner after Roulot. 500-litre barrels for elevage here.
Back to the classic almost ginger-spiced width of Meursault aroma. Direct, growing in intensity but just a couple of mm of cushioning to bring balance here. The finish is fine and incisive. That’s a super wine.
2021 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Folatières
Bottom, south in Au Chaniots. A single barrel of 500-litres – not new.
More volume and some roundness of aroma – but still with clarity and incision. More focused intensity after the Bouchères – mineral, just gorgeous in the middle and finishing flavours. Fading in generous style but always with fine clarity. Certainly excellent – possibly more…
2021 Corton-Charlemagne
Plain west-facing above the cross of Charlemagne (when it’s rebuilt!) Plenty of sources even up there so never a problem with dryness despite what the look of the soil might suggest. Just one barrel this year.
More yellow citrus – also more energy – that’s a great invitation. Hmm, this starts a little rounder than I was expecting – almost soft but there is super clarity to this ripe yellow citrus. The finish is impressively vivid and clean – great finishing. I’ll be interested to see how this turns out – part easy, part great today.