Happy Holidays Everyone

Happy Holidays Everyone!

We just received very limited amounts of incredible white Burgundies (with a few red Burgs, too) from the outstanding 2005 vintage.

They're from two of my favorite producers: Henri Boillot and Bernard Moreau.

Fans of Chassagne Montrachet hold Bernard Moreau in reverence -- he's the man! We also brought in a couple of cases of Moreau's old vine RED Chassagne --- at $28, I'm giving this Red Burg a "Best Buy."

During my travels in Burgundy with Bobby Kacher back in the early 1990's, I was fortunate enough to spend time with Henri Boillot (on several occasions) and I've been watching his mercurial rise to "superstar status" in Robert Parker's publications, like a proud uncle. He was the most passionate (and obsessive) of any of the grandchildern, so I knew he'd take the Domaine to new heights. With the family combining the holdings of the Sauzets (mom) and Boillots (dad), few had better raw material to work with!

Sure, these wines aren't cheap, but his AOC's taste better than most of the 1er Cru in the marketplace. His "Clos de la Mouchere" -- a monopole 1er Cru vineyard -- is as good as anyone's Grand Cru. For those of us who need to be reminded about what chardonnay should taste like, try his Bourgogne Blanc --- it could be the greatest Bourgogne you'll ever try!

Domaine Henri Boillot

Since taking over for his father in 1989 Henri Boillot has become one of the Côte d’Or’s superstar producers. His estate (Domaine Jean Boillot) and négociant wines (Maison Henri Bolliot) are brilliant examples of some of Burgundy’s most celebrated sites. From his village Meursaults, Pulignys and Chassagnes up to his Corton Charlemagne, Chevalier-Montrachet and le Montrachet, Boillot’s wines are intense, structured, exact and age-worthy. Henri Boillot is the brother of Jean-Marc Boillot and brother-in-law of Gerard Boudot (of Maison Etienne Sauzet fame).

The Boillots have been farming in Burgundy since 1855. If our math and genealogy are correct that makes Henri the 5th generation of his clan to be a vigneron in the Côte d’Or. Henri is also a stickler for quality. After making wine at his family’s property (Domaine Jean Boillot) for more than a decade he quit in 1984 to launch his own négociant business. Not satisfied with the house style of his father and grandfather (light and delicate), he left to produce more concentrated and powerful Pinots and Chardonnays. For his efforts he received unbridled hurrahs and huzzahs from the trade and press. After sufficiently impressing his grandfather, Jean Boillot, with the quality of his wines Henri rejoined the estate and eventually bought out his brothers and sisters in 2005. He immediately changed the name of the winery from Domaine Jean Boillot to Domaine Henri Boillot to avoid confusion with his brother’s property, Domaine Jean-Marc Boillot. Henri also continued to market his négociant wines under the Maison Henri Boillot label.

Today, Domaine Henri Boillot consists of 14 hectares evenly split between white (mainly 1er Crus in Meursault and Puligny where he owns the entire four hectares of Clos de la Mouchère) and red (a number of 1er Crus in Savigny, Beaune, and Volnay). As with most top producers, Boillot is fanatical about farming. He avoids insecticides and herbicides, preferring sustainable farming techniques to preserve the integrity of the soil. Vines are pruned heavily in the spring to ensure low yields. The fruit is harvested as late as possible to achieve maximum phenolic maturity. For white wines the grapes are crushed at low pressure to avoid bitterness. The must is cooled as quickly as possible to 8 degrees centigrade. Fermentation is done in 350-liter barrels to retain freshness and minerality. The wines complete malolactic fermentation and are bottled after 18 months in barrel. After hand harvesting the reds make two passes on the sorting table to ensure only clean, ripe berries. After destemming, the must is cold soaked prior to fermentation. During the long fermentation (up to 30 days) the skins are regularly punched down to extract maximum flavor and color. The Pinots are aged in small barrels for 18 months and bottled unfined and unfiltered. The wines of Maison Henri Boillot are produced using the same practices as the Domaine bottlings. Every 1er and Grand Cru comes from a single vineyard with a single proprietor to preserve the authenticity of the site. For quality control Henri oversees all viticultural practices throughout the growing season.

The wines of Maison Henri Boillot are produced in Meursault; the wines of Domaine Henri Boillot are produced in Volnay. In 2006 Henri’s son Guillaume joined his father after completing a BTS (Brevet Technique Superieur) in viticulture and winemaking.

The quality? Well, across the board Boillot’s bottlings are pure, rich, accurate, powerful and brilliant. As Robert Parker neatly stated, “As a group these wines showed vibrancy, excellent acidity, genuine vineyard character, and they tasted damn good too! Differences between Meursaults from Charmes and Genevrières were obvious. It was much the same for the Pulignys and the Grand Crus. In every case, the Boillot wines served as excellent representatives of the fundamental character one has come to expect from these vineyards.”

White Wines

#9776 Puligny Montrachet, Domaine Boillot 2005 12/750 $59.50/Bottle

"Expressive aromas of peach, flowers, menthol and stone. Sweet but brisk and tightly wound, even a bit youthfully strict. Not yet complex but boasts very good intensity and precision. And there's nothing heavy about this 2005. Give it at least three or four years in the cellar."

#9778 Puligny Montrachet "Clos de la Mouchere 1er" Domaine Boillot 2005 12/750 $104/Bottle

95 Points: Tanzer. "Reticent nose hints at minerals, menthol and honey. Fresh on the attack, then almost painfully intense in the middle, with a crystalline purity to the flavors of peach, nectarine, bergamot and spices thanks to powerful minerality. The impression of precision extends through the sappy, rising, extremely long finish."

#9784 Bourgogne Blanc, Maison Henri Boillot 2005 12/750 $26/Bottle

50 per cent grapes just outside the Meursault appellation and 50 per cent St Romiane that he has de-classified. Aged in one and two year old oak barrels, the Bourgogne Blanc is as good as any regional "Bourgogne appellation" you'll ever taste! Ripe, leesy and deep aromas give way to a broad, expansive, concentrated, focused and medium-bodied core of buttery white fruits.

#9786 Meursault, Maison Henri Boillot 2005 12/750 $59.50/Bottle

From the lieux-dit Chevalier, Narvaux, Tillets and Clos du Cromin-'only the taut terroirs,' notes Boillot. Ripe, fruit-driven aromas of peach and apricot. Rich and sweet, with an aromatic peach flavor and good mineral spine. Big and round but not at all flaccid." Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, 90 points.

Red Wines

#9780 Volnay "Les Chevrets 1er Cru" Domaine Boillot 2005 12/750 $80.50/Bottle

Chevrets are always the biggest, most tannic of the Volnays. Medium to dark ruby-colored, has an appealingly dense nose of violets and black cherries. Medium to full-bodied and powerful, it coats the palate with blackberries, graphite, licorice, and dark cherry flavors. This is a masculine, chewy, seamless wine that is the result of moderate yields and impeccable winemaking. Its extremely long finish is completely fruit-dominated, yet reveals copious, well-ripened tannins.

#9782 Volnay "Les Fremiets" Domaine Boillot 2005 12/750 $80.50//Bottle

Located in Volnay's sweet spot -- on it's Northern edge, next to Pommard. The soil is extremely chalky and light, giving these Volnays their delicate & less fleshy & muscular textures. Produced from 30-year-old vines. Violets, red cherries, and candied raspberries can be discerned in its aromatics. On the palate, this is a powerful, red and black cherry as well as blackberry-flavored wine. It is refined, intense, muscular, and utterly harmonious. This well-focused and balanced wine has a dazzling finish and an elegant, fruit-packed personality.

Domaine Bernard Moreau

It’s impossible to discuss Chassagne-Montrachet without mentioning the name Bernard Moreau. Year to year, this celebrated producer vinfies and bottles some of the purest, most thought-provoking wines of the appellation. Employing a style of winemaking that might best be described as hands-off, Bernard produces Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays that are sensual, opulent and utterly delicious.

The winery’s roots go back to the late 19th century when Auguste Moreau farmed his few hectares of Chardonnay and Pinot along the golden slope. The 1930s saw an expansion of the family’s vineyards under the guidance of Marcel Moreau. In 1977 the reputation of this great estate was fully established under the leadership of Bernard and Françoise Moreau. In addition to the changes in equipment, farming and winemaking, they also purchased additional land bringing the vineyard total to 14 hectares. To help with winemaking, viticulture and sales sons Alex (31) and Benoît (26) joined the Domaine after having worked in New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.

As with most all great Burgundian estates the emphasis at Domaine Moreau is on terroir. Treat the vineyards right and they’ll reward you with superior fruit. To maintain healthy balanced soils the winery uses organic fertilizers and no pesticides. To ensure greater flavor intensity they farm the land for lower yields through pruning, debudding, green harvesting in August, leaf thinning for Pinot Noir (on the morning sun side), and the planting of cover crops in certain vineyards to encourage competition and soak up moisture.

The 1er Cru Chardonnays are barrel fermented and aged in French oak barrels (10%-30% new). The wine spends between 12 and 18 months in wood with regular lees stirring for added texture. Says Bernard, “The spirit of our winemaking is to not touch the wine too often. For Chardonnay our aim is to produce very clean and precise wines. We like the minerality and purity.”

The red wines are aged in French oak barrels (10%-50% new) for 12 to 20 months depending on the vineyard and vintage. Bernard states, “For our Pinot Noirs we don’t do any racking, fining or filtration. We want to make the purest expression of the Pinot Noir from our vineyards.”

White Wines