The brother-sister team of Vincent and Sylvie Boyer are the fourth generation of the same family to head up Domaine Boyer-Martenot. But, lest you think them “scions” of some grand French wine dynasty, remember this is Burgundy we’re talking about: Based in Meursault and working with just 12 hectares of vineyards, Vincent and Sylvie are the kinds of hands-in-the-soil farmers that characterize Burgundy much more so than any blue-blazered aristocrat: They do not have much land, and in a vintage like 2016 they had to contend with a vastly shortened crop due to severe Spring frosts.
Luckily, what did make it to harvest was exceptional, and when your holdings include parcels in vineyards like the Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru “Le Cailleret,” you’ve got a vastly improved chance of making something great. Check out this post on our blog: Earlier this year we toured and tasted with Sylvie Boyer and witnessed firsthand what a game of inches great Burgundy truly is. You’ll see a picture of me standing on a narrow road, pointing to two vineyards on either side of me: To the viewer’s left (my right) is the famed Grand Cru Le Montrachet, where wine prices jump up to $1,000+. To the right is the source of today’s wine, “Le Cailleret” (in the background is the stone arch marking the Holy Grail that is Grand Cru Chevalier-Montrachet). Le Cailleret has always been considered the greatest of Puligny’s Premier Crus, but walking these vineyards really drives it home—as does tasting this wine, which wants for nothing and, at $125, is a relative value in the world of elite-level white Burgundy. This artisan-scale white is classic Puligny all the way: finely detailed, brightly perfumed, and profoundly powerful. We managed to get enough to offer six bottles per person today, and you’d be hard-pressed to find a better investment for a growing cellar.
Examine a
map of Puligny-Montrachet, and you’ll see just how exquisitely the “Le Cailleret” vineyard is positioned. It abuts Grand Cru “Le Montrachet,” at the same point on the slope. How is it not classified Grand Cru? Well, while we think of the main
côtes (slopes) of Burgundy—the Côtes de Nuits/Beaune—as being uniform in their aspect, there are subtle variations along the way. Le Cailleret faces more directly east in relation to the more southeasterly Le Montrachet, taking in marginally less direct sunlight as a result—enough for a ‘demotion’ to Premier Cru. In the most minutely parceled vineyard land on earth, no subtlety is overlooked! The Boyers’ slice of Le Cailleret boast vines ranging from 30-50 years of age sitting at about 300 meters’ altitude. The hand-harvested fruit is fermented on indigenous yeasts only in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks then aged in about 50% new French oak before bottling.
As we learned firsthand, 2016 is only marginally less ripe than 2015, but generally more balanced and with more tension—so there’s a lot to enjoy in this wine both now and many years down the road: In the glass, it’s a deep straw-gold with hints of green and silver at the rim, with an intensely aromatic nose of green and yellow apple, bosc pear, lemon blossoms, lime rind, acacia flowers, raw hazelnut, mushroom powder and finely crushed limestone. It is richly textured while focused and intensely mineral on the palate—classic to this famous address. The wine is nearing full-bodied, with an incredibly long and delineated finish; it’s one of those wines that leaves no doubt as to its seriousness, and it’s got a long life ahead of it: If enjoying a bottle now, decant it an hour before serving at 50-55 degrees in large Burgundy stems to really bring out its full bouquet of aromas. As the wine warms towards 60 degrees its full personality will emerge in terms of texture and aroma. Be sure to lay at least a few bottles down for the long term, too, as this one should go 15-20 years with relative ease if kept well. I’d want a richer white-fleshed fish to go with it—particularly with a touch of butter, cream and mushrooms. Follow this with a wheel of room-temperature mature Epoisses with a baguette—incredible! Regardless of when you choose to open a bottle, its pedigree is undeniable, as is its deliciousness. Enjoy!
