Moi...personally invited by Mr Boisset

During our improvised meeting with Mr. Boisset at Prowein, we were invited by him to attend at a tasting during the Grands Jours in Bourgogne. The Grands Jours is a great tasting of all the appellations of Burgundy and this event is held every two years. What made Boisset’s tasting more interesting was the fact that all the domains they own were gathered together under one roof or more appropriately in one cellar.

Given that Mr. Boisset will surely read this blog :) and also due to the fact that Boisset wines are found in all major markets, I will not go through all the wines we tasted and give descriptive tasting notes rather I will introduce to you the domaines from Boisset’s portfolio which I find most interesting.

Surely first place goes to Domaine de la Vougeraie. This domaine is particular at heart since it was through this winery that I was introduced to the real Burgundy. I spent 5 days of harvest working with Pierre Vincent and his team during 2008. Climatic conditions for this vintage were not ideal so we had to compensate with constant hard work at the sorting table to only let the best grapes through. I also remember vividly the afternoon of harvest at Bonnes Mares, one of the grands cru sites in Burgundy. I was so unfamiliar with all the cutting that at one point I cut my finger and promptly thanked God I was only doing this for an afternoon. Yet, the great passion and the big smiles you see on people’s faces during harvest is alluring. I loved every second working at the domaine especially during lunch when everyone gathered around the same table and shared cheese, pates and baguettes. My French back then was limited to Bonjour and Merci, so when the workers tried to explain something it was like Berenice the Puppeteer, trying to make herself understood keeping her mouth shut. Good fun but not only; beautiful wines are the norm of the day at Domaine de la Vougeraie. My favourites during this tasting were Vougeot Clos du Prieure Blanc Monopole 2007, Vougeot Premier Cru Le Clos Blanc de Vougeot Monopole 2007, Pommard Les Petits Noizons 2007 and Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Bel Air 2007.

Another domaine which I haven’t visited yet but which is interesting to me is Maison Jean-Claude Boisset. Founded in 1961 this domain is focused on producing wines transparent enough to express both vintage and terroir characteristics. Winemaker Grégory Patriat explained how little he intervenes during wine making, producing wines which can be enjoyed during their youth yet which offer good ageing potential. I will make it a point to visit this winery and taste a few more of these wines. My favourites were, Fixin Blanc 2007, Saint Aubin Premier Cru en Remilly 2008, Gevrey-Chambertin Les Jeunes Rois 2008 and Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Charmes 2008.

The last winery which I will talk about was founded in 1814 and is one of the oldest houses of Chablis, J.Moreau & Fils. Again I worked with this winery when I was manager of the Wine Dept. At Wands in Malta, now Farsons Beverage Imports Company Limited. My preferred wines from the tasting were Chablis Premier Cru Mont de Milieu 2007 and Chablis Grand Cru Valmur 2007. Both wines had an intense bouquet of citrus fruits whilst the palate had a really delicate balance between acidity, fruit and minerality. Subtle wines yet with a lovely authentic Chablis character. Around 2 years ago I also had the pleasure to taste some old vintages from this winery which were very interesting and therefore showing the potential of this winery.

Apart from the wines during this tasting I must say that the cellar was fascinating. Wines from Aloxe Corton 1961, Richebourg 1973, Richebourg 1865 and many other vintages surrounded the walls of the cellar. Maybe as a birthday gift this year Mr. Boisset will give me a 5 Euro corkscrew and an 1hr in his cellar, I would be thrilled like a girl in an ice cream parlour, which flavours shall I choose??!!! :)