Tasted with Pierre Boillot in Gevrey-Chambertin, 27 November 2018.
Domaine Lucien Boillot
1, rue Docteur-Magnon-Pujo,
21220 Gevrey-Chambertin
Tel: +33 3 80 51 85 61
Pierre Boillot inherited vines from his father in the Côtes de Nuits – Domaine Lucien Boillot which was created in the 1950s – and other vines from his great-grandfather Henri Boillot, originally from Volnay, in the Côte de Beaune. He is a cousin of Jean-Marc Boillot with whom that previous Côte de Beaune domaine was divided. Pierre worked for many years together with his brother, Louis, before they set up separate domaines in 2003.
The domaine is a little over 7 hectares and makes 15 different AOCs, but covers many parcels and they are, of-course, mainly split between Gevrey-Chambertin and Volnay – 4.30 hectares in the Côte de Nuits and 2.80 hectares in the Côte de Beaune. Unsurprisingly, given the Henri Boillot link, there is also Puligny-Montrachet 1er Les Perrières.
This is a domaine that’s relatively little known in France as about 80% of the production is exported to 22 different countries, Pierre’s father sold a lot of the production in bulk. Today it’s more a professional clientelle in France.
Pierre on 2018:
“The 2018s looked great, there was almost nothing to do to triage the grapes, but actually a lot of the fermentations took their time – I don’t add yeast, but I really had to keep an eye on the wines to be sure that they finished their sugars.”
Pierre on 2017:
“The 2017 vintage went well with a good production for the first time in a while. I like the balance of the wines in the end, they are good pinot wines that don’t have quite the same concentration as the last two vintages.”
The wines…
My first visit here and I like what I taste. It’s a style of weight but no lack of detail – I think the Puligny is rather rich for the vintage and the only wine that I found to be overtly oaky at this stage of elevage. Definitely worth a look.
Much are still in barrel but some of the wines have been racked into tank:
2017 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
Grapes of Côte d’Or without that label. 60% Gevrey, 40% Volnay origins. All destemmed like the rest of the domaine. In tank, with bottling probably in January.
Deep colour. A tight but still there’s vivid concentration. Great shape, texture and depth of flavour for a bourgogne. A touch of florality in the finish – hmm the first part of the wine needs to open up, but the mid to finish are great for such a label.
2017 Volnay
A single parcel in Grand Poisots on the Pommard side. Some pinot gris and beurot in this parcel, but this cuvée is only pinot.
Also a tight yet fresh and clean nose, trying but never quite succeeding to offer some floral notes. More depth, a different shape to the structure. Fresh, waves of mineral finishing flavour. Long. A tight and concentrated wine like the first.
2017 Volnay 1er Brouillards
More open but still not showing all. Hmm, now here is a more vibrant energy, floral, with depth of fruit, good texture, a touch of floral and salinity. Mouth-watering and frankly super wine.
Now the wines are tasted from barrel:
2017 Volnay 1er Clos des Angles
Probably to be assembled in mass in January.
A touch of volatile today but behind is a glamorous floral perfume. Wide, good volume, a great line of fruit, a touch more tannin is evident. But fine energy like the last. Super…
2017 Volnay 1er Caillerets
The top part by the road.
A concentrated nose but not quite ready. Give it time in the glass and there is a lovely perfume that starts to develop. Fresh, much more open, lovely in the mouth but less ready than the Angles, a very fine and persistent mineral finish though…
2017 Gevrey-Chambertin
12 different parcels – a ’round view’ of Gevrey.
A very nice, floral nose of quite some clean and silky depth. Hmm, lots of volume, open delicious wine – more visible structure but in an open and positive sense. Long, and holding…
Here’s a pretty nose, slightly floral too – very inviting. Hmm, depth, complexity and absolute deliciousness. There are bigger wines, but here is a fine conjunction of elegance and weight. Bravo! The last drops in the glass are very floral…
2017 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Les Corbeaux
Hmm, a stony, open, mineral and floral nose. Volume, extra freshness, extra clarity. Holds a super line. I want to like the Evocelles more, but this is pulling me in… excellent wine… mineral finishing too – here it’s reminiscent of the Caillerets…
A little volatile today. Much more open and pure, fine, fruited, then finishing with an intense line. It’s an airy wine of finishing intensity and great character. Wait for the nose to properly form… but I think bravo!
2017 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Perrières
In tank now. Will bottle in December. Next to François Carillon, then his cousin in Clos des Mouchères.
Hmm, that’s an open and approachable nose, a little weight of spice – possibly barrel. Deep, textured, a certain richness of flavour and then in the mid palate quite a lot of oak flavour. But on the other hand, beautiful texture and fine freshness. A weight of finishing flavour that’s partly mineral. This is in cork, despite that, I wouldn’t try it for three years.
2018 Pinot Beurot
From the limestone soil of Volnay! Only finished sugar last week, no malo yet…
A vibrant, almost spritzy nose. Full, rich, but lots of flavour here too. Mineral finishing. The middle’s a bit rich but either side is really tasty and interesting..
2017 Pinot Beurot
Pierre’s grandfather planted in the 1950s to take a little of the seriousness out of the reds, reds that needed 10 years keeping at that time.
A wide nose, slightly saline, high-toned. Some gas, lots of energy. Depth of flavour, some kind of ester on the nose and palate that I can’t place. But tasty wine, touched with tannin in the finale.