This stunning Bourgogne Blanc performs like a young Puligny-Montrachet for less than half the price. As many of you know, certain bottlings of Bourgogne Blanc are capable of besting other producers’ top wines when crafted in the right hands.
Many examples are derived from fruit grown almost anywhere in the region and drink like the basic wine it is labeled as. However, a serious blend of declassified fruit from celebrated vineyards can be used to bottle Bourgogne Blanc – usually because the vines are in the process of reaching greater maturity. Such is the case with the 2013 wine from Maison Henri Boillot. With a mind-boggling complexity of terroir, historic family lineage and dedication to superb quality, this serious white performs like a Puligny or Meursault than a run-of-the-mill Bourgogne Blanc.
The legendary Boillot family has been farming in the Cote d’Or since 1855. Fifth-generation vigneron, Henri Boillot has enjoyed an illustrious career that has spanned over four decades. Henri worked at the family estate for ten years before branching off to hone his own style that would inevitably catapult his family name into superstardom upon his return. Garnering the ultimate respect from his grandfather, Jean Boillot, Henri returned to his roots and bought out his brothers and sisters in 2005. He changed the name of the family business to his own and quickly put his unique stamp on the already pedigreed wines under their production. Today, the wines of Domaine Henri Boillot and Maison Henri Boillot are some of the most highly sought-after in Burgundy. His négociant business, Maison Henri Boillot, crafts wines with the same strict standards of excellence in the vineyards and the cellar as wines he produces from his own fruit.
Farming eschews all insecticides and herbicides and is practiced with sustainable techniques. Henri is notorious for demanding extremely low yields, which translates to concentration and focused minerality in the glass. His hand-harvested Maison Henri Boillot Bourgogne Blanc is derived from excellent, village-level parcels from predominantly Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet as well as village-level fruit from Saint-Romain, Auxey-Duresses and Pernand-Vergelesses. A total overachiever of a Bourgogne Blanc thanks to the varied, resplendent terroir, the wine is gently crushed by pneumatic press, and the must is rapidly cooled to incredibly low temperatures, ensuring pristine fruit and riveting freshness. Fermentation takes place in 15% new French 350-liter barrels and is aged for ten months without battonage (stirring of the lees). The wine is fined and lightly filtered before bottling. The result is a wine that drinks well above its Bourgogne Blanc classification, but, fortunately, retains a price point that matches the label.
This 2013 Bourgogne Blanc displays a pale golden yellow core with green reflections on the rim. The intense, mineral-driven nose charms with aromatics of classic young Burgundy with aromas of freshly picked yellow apple, Bosc pear, lemon peel, hazelnut, acacia and hawthorn flowers, lime blossoms, a hint of lees, wet limestone and a touch of oyster shells. The medium-bodied palate generously fills out once it's open and at the proper temperature and is balanced by crisp freshness, perfect tension and distinct minerality. Flavors of yellow apple, Bosc pear, and lemon zest are tightly wrapped inside layered of white flowers, crushed hazelnut, lees and focused minerality. This is a show-stopping example of entry-level white Burgundy that drinks like many producers’ top wines at less than half the price. This wine will charm and is at its sweet spot for the next 3-4 years. To enjoy, simply decant for 30-45 minutes and allow the wine to warm to cellar temperature then serve in Burgundy stems. This wine will enchant with limitless pairings like this
sautéed sole, but also drinks equally well on its own with great friends.
