Jean-Claude Boisset, Marsannay Blanc

Jean-Claude Boisset, Marsannay Blanc

Vintage: 2020

VintageProduct CodeFormatClosureAvailability
2020BO250B206 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

A recent appellation, established in 1987, Marsannay is situated at the northernmost point of the Côte de Nuits. With 147 hectares of red and just 27 hectares of white grapes planted, white Marsannay is still quite a curiosity. The Chardonnay vines are Guyot trained and on average 49 years old. The vineyard is east-facing and sits at an elevation of 230 metres above sea level on deep clay-limestone soils dating back to the Middle Jurassic period. A large proportion of small limestone pebbles in the soil lends elegance and purity to the wines.

Vintage

2020 in Burgundy was characterised by hot and dry conditions, resulting in an early harvest that took place on the 7th September. After a mild spring, temperatures climbed and then remained consistently warm throughout the majority of the summer months, greatly reducing any risk of disease in the vineyard. Unfortunately, with their characteristically thin skins, a portion of the Pinot Noir grapes were affected by sunburn and had to be removed before harvest. However, those that were left were of superb quality, with high colour and aromatic intensity. Grégory Patriat is excited by the potential ageability of the 2020s.

Vinification

Upon arrival at the winery, the hand-harvested Chardonnay grapes were gently whole bunch pressed for 2.5 hours. The temperature of the must was brought down to 12°C and it was transferred to 450-litre French oak demi-muids for fermentation with indigenous yeasts. Following fermentation, the wine was aged in lightly toasted used French oak demi-muids.

Tasting Notes & Technical Details

Pale lemon in colour with flecks of gold. On the nose, this wine presents aromas of citrus fruits, white flowers and a touch of vanilla. The palate is clean and refreshing, with flavours of green apple, lemon and a hint of minerality.

Alcohol (ABV)

12.5%

Acidity

4.96 g/l

Residual Sugar

1.1 g/l

pH

3.46