Jean-Claude Boisset, Savigny-lès-Beaune `Les Planchots`

Jean-Claude Boisset, Savigny-lès-Beaune `Les Planchots`

Vintage: 2022

VintageProduct CodeFormatClosureAvailability
2022BO297B226 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 Savigny-Lès-Beaune vineyards form a V-shape and are located at the meeting point of the valley and the plain, offering some of the most picturesque scenery in the Côte d’Or. The 'Les Planchots' vineyards are located at the far south of Savigny-Lès-Beaune. The south-facing, Guyot-trained vines are 53 years old and are planted on deep marl soils. 'Planchot' is the Burgundian derivative of 'Planche', (from the Latin 'Planca'), meaning footbridge, a nod to the little river Rhoin which runs through the middle of the Planchots vineyards.

Vintage

The 2022 vintage in Burgundy is characterised by abundance and excellence. Despite heatwaves and the largest drought in Burgundy since 1976, 2022 emerged as a generous vintage, with excellent quality. The growing season began with a cold winter, which delayed budburst and ensured most vineyards escaped April frosts unscathed. Optimal spring conditions followed and the vines grew quickly, with flowering taking place in mid-May. The summer was hot and dry, yet rain showers at the end of June replenished water reserves and allowed vines to thrive. Harvest at Jean-Claude Boisset began on 29th August and finished on 14th September. The grapes were in such excellent condition that virtually no sorting was required. Grégory Patriat describes 2022 as “a beautiful vintage”.

Vinification

The hand-harvested Pinot Noir was carefully sorted on the winery sorting table before being 100% destemmed and then gravity fed into tank for a cool pre-fermentation maceration at 12°C for four days. Fermentation followed with indigenous yeasts. Four punch downs were carried out during the ferment and total maceration time on the skins (including the pre-fermentation maceration) was 20 days. Following fermentation, the wine was aged for 10 months in lightly toasted, 228-litre, French oak barrels, 37% of which were new. Bottled in August 2023, 2,324 bottles were produced.

Tasting Notes & Technical Details

Deep ruby red, with a highly expressive nose of red and black berries and ripe cherry, mingled with flavours of sweet spices and a light woody note. The palate is rich, with round, velvety tannins and a lingering finish.

Alcohol (ABV)

13%