2021 BOURGOGNE BLANC, Hautes Côtes De Nuits. Jean-Claude Boisset, Burgundy

Today, Grégory makes 45 wines from across most appellations in the Côte d’Or. His thinking is simple and consistent: source fruit from old vines and be as non-interventionist as possible in the cellar with oak very much in the background for both whites and reds.

The Hautes Côte de Nuits Bourgogne Blanc comes from a 1.05ha vineyard of Ecocert certified, organic Chardonnay vines with an average age of 40 years, east facing and planted on limestone soil. Grapes were hand harvested; fermentation took place 600lt larger oak barrels without settling, to keep the wine in contact with the lees. A long and slow fermentation took place using indigenous yeasts, followed by further ageing in oak for 9 months.

100% Chardonnay

Jean-Claude Boisset is a modern, still family owned, Burgundy Domaine-Négociant founded in 1961.

They are based in Les Ursulines, a former convent in Nuits-Saint-Georges and is run by brother and sister Jean-Charles and Nathalie Boisset. The modern day epoch for Boisset started in 2002 when they appointed the rising star winemaker and viticulturist Grégory Patriat (from the legendary Domaine Leroy), invested heavily in new vineyards, and moved decisively to reduced yields and higher quality. This period was completed when in 2018, they opened a new state-of-the-art winery.

Jean-Claude Boisset is rightly recognised now as one of the finest larger scale producers, reflected in the fact that they have won no fewer than 74 medals and 13 trophies from prestigious competitions over the past eight years, including the International Wine Challenge “Clos de la Roche” Trophy.

2021 was the year that Burgundy (as well as most of France) was hit by hard April frosts which saw a dramatic reduction in yields, resulting in one of the smallest harvests on record. Late flowering and an Indian summer allowed the vines to divert all their energy into the remaining bunches. The whites are excellent with plenty of purity, fruit, and heightened acidity.

Drink now and over the next 5 years – serve chilled but not too cold in large Burgundy glasses.