87-88 JM

Notes:

Includes some purchases below Meursault and Puligny. A mid lemon yellow colour, lively and concentrated, candied citrus, fresh plum. Very lightly reductive. There is a spicy character too, but the fruit energy drives on through. We are flirting with 2014 says Henri. Drink from 2027-2029. Tasted Oct 2025. Jasper Morris 87-88

Producer: Domaine Henri Boillot is based in Meursault and has family roots in Burgundy extending to the late 19th century. Henri joined the family operation in 1975, became responsible for winemaking, and established his own négociant activity in 1995 before consolidating the family domaine in 2005. His son Guillaume Boillot joined in 2008 and now oversees vineyard management and red-wine production, while Henri remains closely focused on the whites. The domaine specializes in the Côte de Beaune, especially Puligny-Montrachet and Volnay, with holdings that range from regional Bourgogne through Premier and Grand Cru vineyards. Henri’s white-wine philosophy centers on purity, energy, freshness and mineral definition, with picking dates considered especially important to preserving balance. Vineyard intervention is kept deliberately limited, and cellar work follows a traditional approach in which élevage supports rather than reshapes the raw material. The Bourgogne Chardonnay provides an accessible look at that white-wine style using fruit from several important Côte de Beaune sectors.
Vineyard: The 2024 Bourgogne Chardonnay includes fruit from the Côte de Beaune, with purchased grapes from sites below Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet specifically noted by Jasper Morris. Other trade information identifies the broader sourcing as primarily declassified fruit associated with Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Saint-Romain and Auxey-Duresses. These areas are dominated by Burgundy’s limestone and clay-limestone geology, though the regional designation means the wine should not be presented as the expression of one specific soil or vineyard. 2024 was a challenging, low-yielding growing season, beginning with frost and poor flowering and continuing through an unusually wet summer. The small crop nevertheless achieved full maturity, and acidity remained a major strength of the vintage. The resulting whites are driven more by freshness, tension and mineral energy than sheer richness. Henri himself drew a comparison with 2014, another vintage remembered for energetic, acid-driven white Burgundy.
Winemaking: The wine is 100% Chardonnay and is fermented and matured in larger 350-liter French oak barrels, rather than standard 228-liter pièces. For the 2024, the barrels are one and two years old, with no new oak, an important distinction that keeps fresh wood from becoming a defining flavor. Barrel fermentation and maturation still provide the gradual oxygen exchange and textural development associated with Boillot’s whites, but the larger vessel size and absence of new oak put greater emphasis on the fruit and naturally lively acidity of the vintage. Henri’s broader approach to white-wine élevage calls for minimal intervention once the wine is in barrel, with careful monitoring rather than extensive manipulation. The 2024 finished at approximately 13% ABV. Stylistically, it is a leaner and more energetic expression than warmer recent years, with citrus, white orchard fruit, subtle reduction and a firm mineral finish appearing consistently in professional assessments.
Technical Details: Bourgogne AOC; Bourgogne Chardonnay; 2024 vintage; 100% Chardonnay; Côte de Beaune sourcing including purchased fruit below Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet; regional blend rather than a single-vineyard wine; fermented and matured in 350-liter French oak barrels; no new oak, using one- and two-year-old barrels; approximately 13% ABV; dry white wine; natural cork closure. The 2024 vintage produced a particularly small crop and is distinguished by its natural freshness and acidity. Jasper Morris recommends drinking the wine from 2027–2029, while JancisRobinson.com gives a broader 2026–2030 window.
Food Pairing: Oysters, crab, grilled shrimp, seared scallops, Dover sole, grilled sea bass, trout almondine, roast chicken, chicken with lemon and herbs, gougères, goat cheese, young Comté, and Gruyère. The 2024’s lively acidity and citrus-driven profile favor seafood and shellfish, while its barrel fermentation gives it enough texture for simply prepared poultry and moderately rich cheeses.