2013 Henri Boillot, Volnay 1er Cru, Fremiets 12x75cl

Robert Parker – 88-90

The 2013 Volnay 1er Cru Fremiets comes from a single parcel of vines. The nose is well defined, dominated by the new oak at the moment, but there is sufficient fruit underneath. The palate is medium-bodied with chewy tannins, quite dense at the moment with a touch of bell pepper on the masculine finish. Fine – if just a bit predictable. Although I have tasted Henri Boillot’s wines for many years, usually at one of their London agent’s offices, I have never actually visited the winery itself, located on the “other” side of the RN74 in an estate that includes the Damy cooperage. This impressive facility affords Henri far more space then if he were couched in some medieval maison in one of the villages, which is mandatory when you have such an all-embracing portfolio of wines. Of course, he is a scion of the Boillot family who established themselves in the region in 1885. Henri represents the fifth winemaking generation and on this visit he was accompanied by the sixth in the form of his son Guillaume, who has graduated from his viticulture studies. The portfolio of what you might call this “mini-négoce” is impressive, studded with a number of Grand Crus, spanning red and white. In 2013, he told me that he picked September 27 until October 5, yields incredibly low, hovering between 12 and 16 hectoliters per hectare. Henri seemed enraptured by the 2013s, describing them as having a “big definition of terroir.” That is true, though as usual his use of new oak means that in their youth, that tends to be slightly obscured by the wood and they require time to assimilate that oak. As Henri was keen to stress, he uses mainly 350-liter barrels that lessen their impact. Something to bear in mind when you see the percentages. [01/12/2014]

Anticipated maturity: 2018-2028

Vinous – 90-92

Bright, dark red. Reticent, rather wild aromas of dark cherry and underbrush. Energetic but backward; much tighter today than the village wine and more dominated by its structure. The wild quality carries through on the palate. Best today on the back end, where fine-grained tannins spread out to saturate the palate. [Stephen Tanzer, 01/01/2015]

Anticipated maturity: 2020-2028