Henri Boillot - who makes wine from Some
of the
Greatest Red Burgundy plots has allocated us
some
new wines this
year. We have a perminent allocation of his stellar
collection of
Premier Cru Volnays: (only 5 cases of each).
Now we have some Grand Cru
Clos de
Vougeot, Grand Cru
Charmes-Chambertin along with some
Pommard Premier Cru
Rugiens (Pommard's best premier cru) .
The quantities are minuscule - 3 cases of
this 5
cases of that. And I am definitely taking
some for
myself.
Henri Boillot is the man who made me a
Burgundy lover. He is an utter perfectionist
who stops at nothing to make the best of the
best wine in Burgundy, His yields are under
a stunning 20 hectoliters per hectare which is
extraordinary and shows his absolute
dedication (despite the obvious financial
sacrifice) to making some of the most
excellent wine in Burgundy. These are the
wines of your life. For perspective this is about
half the yield of his neighbors.
Here's what Tanzer says. I have added some
comments of my own and also some comments
from Allen Meadows (Burghound), which
follow
the Tanzer quotations.
2008 Domaine/Maison Henri Boillot
Volnay Les Chevrets $85 per bottle, 6
bottles
$499, 12 bottle case $970
"Bright ruby-red. Expressive, very ripe nose
combines black cherry, wild herbs, leather,
smoke and earth. Wonderfully sweet and silky
but bright, with a creamy small-berry
character to the intense flavors of black
cherry, iron, dark chocolate and minerals.
For all its density, this conveys a juicy
quality and considerable elegance." RATED:
91-94
Silky, rich, long, lots of finesse, feminine.
Brilliant, dark, ruby hue.
2008 Domaine/Maison Henri Boillot
Volnay Les Fremiets $85 per bottle, 6
bottles
$499, 12 bottle case $970
"Dark red-ruby. Spicy aromas of dark plum,
currant and chocolate. More spicy but less
fat than the Chevrets, conveying an
impression of firmer acidity. An enticing
black cherry perfume emerges as the wine
opens in the glass. Supple, elegant,
beautifully balanced wine with no heaviness,
and very long on the aftertaste." RATED:
91-93
Masculine, round, long, strong. Dark, red
ruby hue. This borders Pommard and is a combination
of the best of both appellations.
"Deep red-ruby. Knockout nose combines black
raspberry, licorice, smoky minerality and
complex earth tones. Superripe, rich and full
but suave, with ripe acidity framing the
complex flavors of raspberry, game, leather
and earth. This spreads out insidiously to
saturate the entire palate. Finishes complex
and extremely long. Wow!" Rated: 92-95
2008 Domaine/Maison Henri Boillot
Pommard $65 per bottle, 6
bottles
$375, 12 bottle case $699
"(a domain wine from a 1978 planting in the
premier cru Le Clos Blanc, which Boillot
previously declassified) Bright, dark red.
Blackberry and black raspberry on the fruity
nose. Not as dark or dense as the Volnay
premier crus but vinous, spicy and sweet,
with lovely fruit intensity. Finishes long
and fresh. This stood up nicely to the superb
Caillerets that preceded it. Pommard received
less rainfall in 2008 than did Volnay, noted
Boillot, and there was no hail here"
Rated 89-91
2008 Pommard: (the first vintage). A cool,
pure and impressively refined nose of
high-toned red berry fruit marries into
energetic and finely detailed middle weight
flavors that possess ample vibrancy and
persistence. This is a lovely villages and
one that should benefit from 7 to 8 years in
the cellar. 88/2015+ Allen Meadows,
Burghound
Pommard is a wine that is not shy; it is
muscled and powerful and dark in color. It is
a long-lived wine and one of my favorite
appellations.
2008 Domaine/Maison Henri Boillot
Pommard Les Rugiens $100 per
bottle,
6
bottles
$575, 12 bottle case $1150
"Bright, dark red-ruby.
Expressive, highly complex nose combines
raspberry, flint, iron and smoke. Silky and
energetic; less densely packed and chocolatey
than the Volnay premier crus but with
terrific verve and definition. Finishes
impressively long and fresh, with a building
black cherry flavor." Very Limited Rated 91-
94
2008 Pommard "Rugiens": (the first vintage
from Rugiens Hauts). A completely different
nose of earthy and quite somber dark berry
fruit aromas that retain an admirable sense
of freshness complements the rich and
distinctly stony medium-bodied flavors, all
wrapped in a supple and balanced finish where
the supporting tannins are dense but fine.
91/2016+ Allen Meadows Burghound
Les Rugiens is considered the best of the
Premier Cru in Pommard. This is a
profound wine with big flavor impact and very
long-lived. Many feel les Rugiens
should have Grand Cru status.
There are
no Grand Cru in either Volnay or
Pommard. If
there
were they would cost twice as much
2008 Domaine/Maison Henri Boillot
Clos Vougeot Grand Cru $139 per
bottle, 6
bottles
$799, 12 bottle case $1599
" Deep
red-ruby. Ripe black cherry, licorice and a
wilder hint of game on the nose. Dense, lush
and fully ripe, offering nuanced flavors of
cherry, minerals, flowers and game, plus an
intriguing saline impression of soil.
Finishes with palate-saturating flavor and
big but seamless tannins. This will need time
in bottle but appears to be a great success
in 2008. Boillot says these vines were picked
on October 12 with 13% natural alcohol, and
that the yield was just 19 hectoliters per
hectare." Rated 91-94
Clos de Vougeot is a vineyard in the Cote de
Nuit which produces wines with
extraordinarily heady perfumes and very long
finishes.
2008 Domaine/Maison Henri Boillot
Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru
$179
per bottle, 6
bottles
$1049, 12 bottle case $2099
"Bright red-ruby. Musky nose dominated by
flowers and game. Sweet, suave and moderately
dense but a bit youthfully restrained today,
with a light touch to the middle palate and
intriguing scents of smoky minerality.
Finishes very long and fine-grained. From
"real" Charmes harvested on October 18(!)." Only 24
bottles
Rated 92-94
2008 Charmes-Chambertin: (from Charmes
proper). A brooding yet still pretty nose of
dark pinot fruit cut with ample amounts of
earth and underbrush nuances, both of which
can also be found on the rich and full-bodied
flavors that are supple yet quite serious
while culminating in a dusty and moderately
structured finish that delivers excellent
length. 91/2018+ Allen Meadows,
Burghound
Charmes-Chambertin is true to its
name; the wine is softer and fruitier than
the other Grand Cru Chambertins. Henri
Boillot's Charmes-Chambertin comes
from the "real" Charmes-Chambertin
vineyard which is just west of the
Chambertin vineyard.
Mazoyeres-Chambertin is closer to the
border of Morey-St Denis, but can also label
its bottles Charmes-Chambertin. Both
of these vineyards produce spectacular wines.
These wines are the reasons behind the insane
love of Burgundy. You will "get it" with one
of these in your glass. Cynthia
Hurley
