Jean-Claude Boisset, Beaune 1er Cru `Les Grèves`

Jean-Claude Boisset, Beaune 1er Cru `Les Grèves`

Vintage: 2021

VintageProduct CodeFormatClosureAvailability
2021BO238B216 x 75Natural CorkAvailable
Producer

Jean-Claude Boisset is a family-owned wine company founded in 1961, with their first parcel located in Gevrey-Chambertin. Today the company is based in Les Ursulines, a former convent in Nuits-Saint-Georges and is run by brother and sister duo Jean-Charles and Nathalie Boisset. In 2018, they opened a new state-of-the-art winery, reflecting their modern, technical approach to winemaking.

Since 2002, the wines have been made by Grégory Patriat. Previously head viticulturist and assistant winemaker at the legendary Domaine Leroy, Grégory has brought a detailed, vineyard-led approach to Jean-Claude Boisset. This approach is mirrored in Grégory’s winemaking, resulting in wines that reflect their origins with a harmony of freshness and fruit expression. After tasting the 2021 vintage, Jancis Robinson wrote that she “was utterly knocked out by the balance and refinement of Grégory Patriat’s wines at J-C Boisset”.

Today, Grégory makes 45 wines from across the Côte d’Or, working closely with his team of growers throughout the year. He gets just as excited about his plot of Grand Cru ‘Clos de la Roche’ (from which he has been buying fruit since 2002) or his vines in Chambolle-Musigny (which includes a parcel of the Premier Cru ‘Clos de l’Orme’), as he does with his Aligoté, his Fixin Blanc or other lesser-known appellations.

His philosophy is simple: work with old, massal selection vines that produce highly concentrated, low-yielding fruit. In the cellar, he is non-interventionist, preferring to let the fruit express itself. “70-80% of the quality comes from the vineyard,” he says. Vinification for the reds is in large, open-topped oak foudres, while the whites are fermented in Chassin barrels. Since 2007, Grégory has introduced larger 450-litre barrels to reduce the influence of oak.

Grégory’s wines 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, which he has won five times.

Vineyards

In Old French, “Grèves” referred to sandy soil that was well adapted to viticulture. The 30-hectare `Les Grèves` vineyard is assuredly one of Beaune’s best-known 1er Crus and is located on an east-facing slope. Grégory works with a small 0.88 hectares parcel here. Soils here consist of limestone and sand which retain both good levels of heat and moisture during the growing season. The vines are 71 years old on average and are pruned using the Guyot system.

Vintage

2021 was a challenging vintage for winegrowers and producers in Burgundy. There were historically low yields due to catastrophic spring frost and hail, compounded by a cold, wet growing season. It is a return to a more classic vintage marked by bright acidity and freshness thanks to the cooler temperatures and resulting slower ripening, which allowed for full flavour development.

Vinification

The grapes were carefully hand harvested into 20kg perforated boxes. Upon arrival at the winery, they underwent a second selection process to ensure that only those in pristine condition made it into the wine. After sorting, 70% of the bunches were destemmed and placed in vats, without any crushing. A 15-day maceration on the skins followed, including four days at a cold 12°C, to extract aromatics and smooth tannins. Fermentation took place using indigenous yeasts, with two punch downs to further extract flavour and tannins and with no addition of sulphur. The wine was then racked to oak, around 30% of which was new, and aged for 11 months before the final blend was assembled and bottled.

Tasting Notes & Technical Details

Ruby red in colour, with perfumes of black cherries and summer fruit, together with well integrated toasty notes. A backbone of ripe, tightly knit and firm tannins gives structure to the palate and a bright acidity carries the complex flavours onto the lingering finish.

Alcohol (ABV)

12.5%

Acidity

7.6 g/l

Residual Sugar

2 g/l

pH

3.9