Domaine Louis Boillot
Domaine Louis Boillot is an estate in Chambolle-Musigny in the Côte de Nuits region of Burgundy. It has numerous Premier Cru vineyard holdings in both the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits, the largest of which is situated in Gevrey-Chambertin. The vast majority of Louis Boillot wines are made from Pinot Noir, although the domaine makes a a lovely selection of Beaujolais, Moulin-à-Vent and Fleurie from Gamay.
Louis released the first Domaine Louis Boillot vintage in 2003 from his cellars in Chambolle-Musigny, which he shares with wife Ghislaine Barthod – winemaker and owner of Domaine Ghislaine Barthod. The two domaines are managed independently of one another and the wines are also vinified separately. Since 2018, their son Clément has been in charge of vineyards and production at Domaine Louis Boillot and also works with Domaine Ghislaine Barthod at the same time.
The vineyards are maintained and farmed using the lutte raisonnée approach, or "reasoned struggle", which involves minimal human intervention and the use of fewer manmade chemicals. Grapes are harvested, destemmed and given a four to six day cold pre-fermentation maceration. This is followed by fermentation in 20-30 percent new oak barrels and an élévage of 16-18 months prior to bottling without fining or filtration.
Neal Martin:
These wines often receive less attention than those of Ghislaine Barthod whose enviable cluster of Chambolle Premier Crus tends to put it ahead of Boillot’s. But these are certainly worth seeking out as they are well crafted Pinot Noirs and indeed Gamays.
The Vintage
In 2020, the harvest started on August 18th - the earliest harvest in the history of the domaine. They had to start the harvest so early because the grapes were already ripe. It was hard to decide when to start because they were worried about not having enough balance and freshness, but it was a very good harvest. Rich and perhaps not a typical Burgundian vintage, but very good and the domaine really like it. They mentioned that perhaps it was a bit like 2003, but with more freshness and red fruit.
They finished the vine work late and started the harvest only 10 days later! 2020 is more similar to 2018 than 2019.
2019 was very dry, but cooler. There was more acidity and less extraction in 2019 and therefore it was more precise.
The wines will be aged for another 3-4 months in the tanks. The wines are not filtered. Instead, they are left in the tanks in order to reach clarification (when sediment falls to bottom of the tank).
All the Pinot Noir are beautifully bright in the glass, much more ruby coloured than the other producers we tasted.
The Wines
At a Glance:
Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru Les Evocelles
£ per 6 x 75cl IB pre-arrival late 2022 - 
Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cherbaudes
£ per 6 x 75cl IB pre-arrival late 2022 -
Nuits St Georges 1er Cru Les Pruliers
£ per 6 x 75cl IB pre-arrival late 2022 -
Fleurie Grille Midi
£ per 6 x 75cl IB pre-arrival late 2022 -
Moulin-à-Vent Plantier de Favre
£ per 6 x 75cl IB pre-arrival late 2022 -
Read More About Each Wine Below
Gevrey Chambertin Les Evocelles
£ per 6 x 75cl IB pre-arrival late 2022
Sweet, red & juicy on nose. Soft cherry aromas leap from the glass. Beautiful palate, perfectly balanced with just a touch of acidity. Glorious juicy ripe cherries, cranberries, sour raspberries. Lovely long finish.
90-92 points (Vinous.com)
Drinking window: 2024 - 2036
The 2020 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Evocelles 1er Cru has a nose where you might misconstrue contains some stems - there are none, it is just very peppery. The palate is medium-bodied with ripe fleshy red berry fruit, fine acidity, just a little coarsness on the finish that should be remedied during its élevage. Fine.
Neal Martin. November 2021
Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cherbaudes
£ per 6 x 75cl IB pre-arrival late 2022
Delicate nose – really lovely. Very floral and lovely balance. Texture, spice, almost grapefruit/blood orange. Spice remains on finish, but with sweet cherries and marzipan. Fresh with nice ripeness. The clay soil imparts wonderful texture and power.
91-93 points (Vinous.com)
Drinking window: 2025 - 2042
The 2020 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cherbaudes 1er Cru has a fragrant and floral bouquet that you might mistake for Boillot’s better half’s wine (Ghislaine Barthod). The palate is medium-bodied with succulent ripe red fruit, just a little greenness towards the finish that nags away, though it should be assimilated with bottle age. Nice salinity here.
Neal Martin. November 2021
Nuits St Georges 1er Cru Les Pruliers
£ per 6 x 75cl IB pre-arrival late 2022
Bright sweet strawberries on nose, really lovely. Beautiful palate, confected cherries, strawberries. Lovely with great spicy notes to balance sweetness. Acidity, fine tannins, great structure. Stewed & dried cranberries – Lovely! Even greater concentration and richness than Gevrey Chambertin.
91-93 points (Vinous.com)
Drinking window: 2024 - 2038
The 2020 Nuits Saint-Georges Les Pruliers 1er Cru has a gorgeous, pure dark cherry and violet-scented bouquet, very Vosne-like and seductive. The palate is well balanced with tart red fruit, orange sorbet and a touch of strawberry pastille, just a delicious Les Pruliers with a fleshy sensual finish. Very fine.
Neal Martin. November 2021
Fleurie Grille Midi
£ per 6 x 75cl IB pre-arrival late 2022
Bright, floral. Pretty nose and very approachable. Soft tannins and could do with some time. Lovely flavours, lots of confected cranberries, strawberries, cherries. Floral with some roses. Bright and pretty. Good finish.
Moulin-à-Vent Plantier de Favre
£ per 6 x 75cl IB pre-arrival late 2022
Smokey and toasty on the nose with strawberry and spice. Pomegranate and cranberry on the palate, with crunchy red berries and spice. Lovely acidity running through it. Lovely structure with great firm tannins. Buy this and tuck away!
88-90 points (Vinous.com)
Drinking window: 2024 - 2034
The 2020 Moulin-à-Vent Plantiers des Favre offers light brambly red cherry and cranberry fruit on the nose, a little tertiary in style. The palate is medium-bodied with firm tannins, quite Pinot-like in some ways with a harmonious finish that just needs a little more substance.
Neal Martin. November 2021