Jean-Claude Boisset, Mâcon-Igé `Château London`

Jean-Claude Boisset, Mâcon-Igé `Château London`

Vintage: 2022

VintageProduct CodeFormatClosureAvailability
2022BO263B226 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

The grapes for this wine are sourced from Igé, one of the Mâconnais' top villages. Château London refers to the specific vineyard or 'lieu-dit', which has a total surface area of 2.72 hectares under vine. Soils are composed of chalk and limestone, which bring a freshness and minerality to the wines. The vines are on average 37 years old and are pruned using the Guyot system at a height of 1.3 metres to allow for good sun exposure. Yields are around 30 hectolitres per hectare.

Vintage

Following a string of difficult years, the 2022 vintage in Burgundy was characterised by abundance and excellence. The growing season began with a cold, wet winter, which resulted in a slower start to the growing season and delayed budburst, saving the vines from the worst of the spring frosts. The winter rains also replenished soil water reserves and sustained the vines through four heatwaves during the summer. Harvest was earlier than usual, but the quality of the fruit harvested was excellent, with vibrant aromatics and balancing acidity

Vinification

The grapes were harvested by hand into 20-kilogram crates, then whole-bunch pressed for 2.5 hours. The temperature of the must was brought down to a cool 12°C and then immediately transferred to barrels with no settling to preserve the lees. A long fermentation took place using indigenous yeasts and then the wine was aged for around 8 months in lightly-toasted oak barrels, 30% of which were new.

Tasting Notes & Technical Details

An expressive nose with aromas of ripe lemon, white peach and subtle hints of white flowers with rich buttery notes. This wine is round with lovely fruit concentration on the palate lifted by fresh acidity. The finish is long and lively.

Alcohol (ABV)

13.5%