Nuits-Saint-Georges négociant Jean-Claude Boisset was founded by the Boisset family in 1961 and is now based in Les Ursulines, a former convent converted into a state-of-the-art, gravity-fed winery. Accomplished winemaker Paul Zinetti replaced Grégory Patriat as Viticulturist and Head Winemaker in 2026. A Burgundy native, Paul cut his teeth working with Dominique Lafon in Meursault and his brother Bruno Lafon in the Languedoc, before working at Domaine Comte Armand in Pommard as Cellar and Vineyard Manager for over a decade.
Paul’s intricate knowledge of the vineyards of the Côte d’Or stands him in good stead to continue Grégory’s detailed, vineyard-led approach. Boisset have very close and long-standing relationships with multiple growers in prime lieux-dits across the region. Paul carefully monitors progress throughout the growing season and determines the harvest date, with two thirds of the fruit hand harvested by the Jean-Claude Boisset team, allowing even greater control over quality.
In the winery, Paul’s approach is minimalist, to produce wines that are truly reflective of their lieux-dits. The whites are gently whole-bunch pressed, then racked to 450-litre demi-muids for fermentation with indigenous yeasts. Following fermentation, the wines undergo a period of oak ageing, with varying percentages of new oak used depending on the lieu-dit and vintage. The range includes some rare examples of Marsannay Blanc and Fixin Blanc, both hailing from traditionally red wine appellations in the far north of the Côte de Nuits.
The Hautes Côtes de Nuits Blanc is an elegant, perfumed wine from organically farmed 40-year-old vines planted in some of the highest vineyard sites of the Côte. The Meursault ‘Le Limozin’ comes from 100-year-old vines in what many refer to as a Meursault ‘2ème Cru’, located immediately below prime 1er Cru ‘Les Genevrières’. The Santenay 1er Cru ‘Passetemps’, described as “a baby Chassagne”, is sourced from two sites on a hillside located just below the 'Clos de Mouches' vineyard.
The reds all undergo cool maceration prior to fermentation with indigenous yeasts, with only a few gentle punch downs in stainless-steel tanks. Varying percentages of whole-bunch and new oak are used, again depending on the lieu-dit and the vintage conditions.
The Chorey-lès-Beaune ‘Les Beaumonts’ comes from the oldest parcel that the team work with, planted in 1902. These low-yielding bush vines produce such intense and concentrated fruit that this could easily be mistaken for a Grand Cru in a blind tasting. The Nuits-Saint-Georges ‘Tribourg’ is made from a lieu-dit just 400 metres from the winery, planted on clay soils peppered with pebbly limestone slope wash. It is a staggeringly elegant wine, Chambolle-esque, bursting with bright fruit and floral perfumes carried by velvety tannins and a vibrant acidity. The Clos de la Roche is arguably the jewel in the Jean-Claude Boisset crown. It is sourced from 55-year-old vines in the only north-south oriented plot within this Morey-Saint-Denis Grand Cru. Only one barrel is made each vintage, yet it has won the International Wine Challenge ‘Clos de la Roche’ Trophy an astounding five times.
