Jean Marc Boillot

History of Domaine Jean-Marc Boillot

The history of the estate stems above all from an exceptional double lineage in the world of Burgundy wines. On the paternal side, the Boillot family has been cultivating the vine for several generations around Volnay and Pommard. On the maternal side, Jean-Marc Boillot is the grandson of Étienne Sauzet, one of the most respected names in Puligny-Montrachet. After having vinified thirteen vintages at the family estate, he chooses in 1984 to follow his own path, convinced that greater maturity, concentration and brilliance must be sought in the wines.

He signs his first personal vintage in 1985, from a few rented plots in Pommard, while managing the winemaking at Olivier Leflaive until 1988. That year, his paternal inheritance brings him vines in Volnay and Pommard, then, in 1991, the transfer of a third of the Étienne Sauzet estate opens the doors to the premiers crus of Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet and Meursault. The estate then reaches its current form, complemented by a small négociant activity. Jean-Marc Boillot also owns two properties in the Languedoc, Les Roques and Les Truffières. Today, his daughter Lydie Alzingre, his son-in-law François and his son Benjamin carry on the legacy, in the same spirit of exacting standards.

Terroirs and Vines of Domaine Jean-Marc Boillot

The vineyard covers approximately eleven hectares, entirely located on the Côte de Beaune, with a fairly even split between chardonnay and pinot noir. The whites come from the premiers crus of Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet and Meursault, on argilo-calcareous soils that are often thin and stony, sometimes marly at the foot of the slopes. The reds are rooted in Pommard, Volnay and Beaune, on more ferruginous and deeper soils that give the wines their characteristic structure.

The planting density reaches a minimum of twelve thousand vines per hectare, a deliberate choice intended to create competition between the plants and to force the roots to explore the subsoil. The vines display a high average age, frequently exceeding sixty years on the plots inherited from the Sauzet estate. Work in the vineyard follows a thoughtful and attentive approach to viticulture: ploughing, controlled cover cropping, severe de-budding, limited yields and manual harvesting with rigorous sorting, so as to bring into the cellar only perfectly ripe and healthy grapes.

Winemaking at Domaine Jean-Marc Boillot

For the whites, the harvest is pressed gently, most often in a pneumatic press, then settled before being racked directly into French oak barrels. Fermentation starts with indigenous yeasts and ageing continues for twelve to eighteen months, with a proportion of new wood generally between 25 and 30%, and weekly lees stirring that imparts this recognisable creamy texture. The wine is then lightly fined and filtered before bottling. The result is intense, rich and deep chardonnays, without heaviness, whose mineral tension has earned the estate its reputation among the premiers crus of Burgundy.

For the reds, the harvest is entirely destemmed, then vatted for eighteen to twenty-one days, with fermentation carried out at a fairly high temperature to extract colour and substance, followed by vertical pressing. Malolactic fermentation is 100% complete and ageing lasts approximately sixteen months in barrels, with up to 50% new wood on the most structured cuvées, without racking in order to preserve the fruit. These pinot noirs prove to be solid, velvety and remarkably suited to ageing, in the image of the finest grands crus of Burgundy.

The cuvées of Domaine Jean-Marc Boillot

The Bourgogne blanc opens the range with a pale golden colour and a brioche, buttery nose marked by fresh almond, with a smooth palate and a very digestible acidic finish. The Bourgogne rouge, supple and fruity, plays on immediate pleasure. The Montagny 1er Cru, from the Côte Chalonnaise, captivates with its floral notes, pear and flint, for a remarkable quality-to-price ratio. The Rully blanc completes this entry-level range with a lively and crunchy chardonnay.

The Meursault displays a broad and nutty profile, balanced by a well-sustained acidity. The Chassagne-Montrachet adds more breadth and substance, with touches of candied citrus. The Puligny-Montrachet village expresses the floral finesse and saline minerality of the appellation, with aromas of white flowers, white-fleshed fruits and honey. Then come the premiers crus that have made the estate's reputation. Les Combettes, adjoining Meursault, combines density, brilliant fruitiness and a vibrant, energetic finish. Les Referts develops like a fine wine, with a strict and linear nose, very mineral, which opens up with aeration. Champ Canet offers a perfect balance between richness and controlled acidity, ideal after a few years of ageing. La Truffière, higher up on the slope, stands out for its citrus tension and chiselled length. La Garenne cultivates freshness and straightforwardness, on poor and windswept soils. Les Chalumeaux, more discreet, plays on finesse and airy elegance. Sous le Puits, situated at altitude, brings a chalky vivacity structured for ageing. At the summit, the Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru, planted at approximately 250 metres altitude on argilo-calcareous soils, reveals a nose of white flowers, white fruits and gentle spices, a palate of impressive density and intensity and an exceptional length, one of the finest expressions of Montrachet and its grands crus.

Among the reds, the Volnay village deploys a fragrant pinot noir, all lace, with notes of violet and cherry. The Volnay 1er Cru Le Ronceret impresses with its depth and suavity, with a surprising constitution for the appellation. The Volnay 1er Cru Carelle sous la Chapelle, even more elegant, marries fresh red fruits and silky tannins. The Volnay 1er Cru Les Pitures, from well-exposed vines, combines flesh and freshness in a very digestible register. The Pommard village displays the earthy solidity of the appellation, with compact tannins. The Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens, the absolute reference of the appellation, combines power, density and tannic nobility, with very long ageing potential. The Pommard 1er Cru Les Jarollières, from vines of approximately seventy years, marries the robustness of Pommard with the finesse of Volnay, with tender tannins, fine substance and a persistent finish. The Pommard 1er Cru Les Saucilles, rarer, shows a spiced and fleshy character. The Beaune 1er Cru Les Épenottes offers juicy fruit and a velvety texture, with accents of liquorice. Finally, the Beaune 1er Cru Les Montrevenots, firm and structured, reveals itself after a decade.