Henri Boillot

History of Domaine Henri Boillot

The Boillot family has worked the vines since the very beginning of the last century, but the estate’s founding dates back to 1885, when Henri’s grandfather, also named Henri, began farming the family’s first plots. His son Jean became the driving force behind the estate’s expansion, extending the vineyard into the finest climats of the Côte de Beaune and building the reputation of the family’s Burgundy wines, then sold under the name Domaine Jean Boillot.

Henri Boillot joined the family estate in 1975 and worked his way through every role before taking full charge of winemaking. In 1995, he established his own négociant house to vinify grapes from terroirs where the family owned no vines, entrusting each cru to a single supplier to preserve its sense of place. The first phase of the cellars and winery in Meursault was built in 2000. In 2005, buying out his brother’s and sister’s shares allowed him to retain the entire estate, now united under the sole name Domaine Henri Boillot, distinct from his brother Jean-Marc’s estate. His son Guillaume joined him in 2008 and, from 2012, took charge of growing the grapes and making the reds, bringing an added measure of refinement to the climats of Volnay.

Terroirs and Vines of Domaine Henri Boillot

The vineyard covers approximately nineteen hectares in the southern Côte de Beaune, seven of them devoted to Chardonnay. The whites center on the Puligny-Montrachet premiers crus, including Les Perrières, Les Pucelles and, above all, the estate’s exclusive holding of Clos de la Mouchère, an enclave within Les Perrières bordering Clavaillon. The estate also owns prime plots in Meursault, notably Les Genevrières, Les Gouttes d’Or and its exclusive holding of Clos Richemont, as well as a white Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Vergelesses. The clay-limestone soils, often thin and stony higher on the slope and more marly below, account for the characteristic tension of these Chardonnays.

For the reds, the estate is particularly well endowed with Volnay premier cru plots in Les Caillerets, Les Chevrets, Les Fremiets and Clos de la Rougeotte, alongside Beaune 1er Cru Clos du Roi and Les Épenottes, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Lavières and plots in Pommard. Planting density is maintained at around 10,000 vines per hectare, encouraging deep roots and concentrating mineral elements in the berries. The carefully managed vineyard practices exclude herbicides and insecticides and involve eight to ten rounds of plowing each year. Yields are limited to approximately 40 hectoliters per hectare, and grapes are harvested by hand as late as possible to achieve ideal ripeness, as demanded by the Puligny-Montrachet premiers crus.

Winemaking at Domaine Henri Boillot

The whites are pressed slowly and then transferred to barrels, often of 350 liters, a size Henri Boillot favors to limit the oak’s influence. Fermentation begins with native yeasts, malolactic fermentation is completed in full, and aging continues on the lees for about twelve months, with very restrained bâtonnage. The goal is always the same: Burgundy white wines that are focused, precise, pure and elegant, never showy, developing beautifully over four to five years before entering a long second life.

For the reds, Guillaume Boillot favors gentle extraction, using cold pre-fermentation maceration depending on the vintage, a variable proportion of whole clusters and very light punch-downs. Aging takes place in barrels for twelve to sixteen months, with a moderate proportion of new oak to let the finesse of the terroirs speak for itself. The result is silky, fragrant Pinot Noirs with supple tannins and an elegance on a par with the finest Burgundy premiers crus.

The wines of Domaine Henri Boillot

Bourgogne Blanc opens the range with a finely etched, floral and saline Chardonnay of remarkable clarity for its level. Bourgogne Rouge offers crisp fruit and suppleness. Saint-Romain, also made from the Combe Bazin lieu-dit, charms with its alpine freshness and notes of green apple and flint. The village-level Chassagne-Montrachet offers a broader, more buttery palate, while Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Chaumées adds mineral tension and length.

The village-level Meursault perfectly illustrates the estate’s style: vinified in 350-liter barrels with native yeasts, full malolactic fermentation and twelve months of aging, it offers honey, linden blossom and buttery nuances on a powerful, rich palate. Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières brings floral finesse and a long, saline finish. Meursault 1er Cru Les Charmes offers velvety roundness and generosity. Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières stands out for its density and gunflint minerality, a pinnacle of the appellation. Meursault 1er Cru Les Poruzots balances ripe yellow fruit with liveliness. Meursault 1er Cru Les Gouttes d’Or displays fine minerality from its limestone soil, with a lemony finish. Meursault 1er Cru Clos Richemont, an exclusive holding of the estate, charms with its white-fruit aromas, broad palate and persistence.

The village-level Puligny-Montrachet combines white flowers and citrus with a vibrant backbone. Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Mouchère, an exclusive holding nestled within Les Perrières, is the estate’s flagship: dense, saline and crystalline in its purity. Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles adds a floral dimension and silky texture. Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Perrières is more austere and mineral, built for aging. Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes, neighboring Meursault, marries richness with energy. Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières, high on the slope, shines with finesse and freshness. The rarer Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets offers remarkable depth. The white Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Vergelesses rounds out the range with a taut, appealing Chardonnay.

At the pinnacle of the whites, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru impresses with its power and exceptional aromatic persistence. The broad, full-bodied Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru is a fine wine built for aging. Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru is more delicate and floral. Tiny and exceedingly rare, Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru combines finesse and brilliance. Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru emphasizes verticality and pure minerality. Finally, Montrachet Grand Cru, the absolute pinnacle of Montrachet and its grands crus, brings together white flowers and mandarin in an exceptional wine that reveals itself after at least ten years in the cellar.

Among the reds, village-level Volnay expresses the appellation’s fragrant nobility through violet and cherry. The highly floral Volnay 1er Cru Les Chevrets combines silkiness and freshness. The firmer Volnay 1er Cru Les Fremiets reveals a mineral, spicy backbone. Volnay 1er Cru Les Caillerets, a benchmark for the appellation, combines elegance, depth and remarkable length. Volnay 1er Cru Les Santenots brings more flesh and structure. Volnay 1er Cru Clos de la Rougeotte completes the series with vibrant fruit. Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens delivers power, density and fine tannins, built for long aging. Pommard 1er Cru Clos Blanc is softer and more velvety. Pommard 1er Cru Les Jarollières marries robustness with refinement. Beaune 1er Cru Clos du Roi has a solid, spicy structure, while Beaune 1er Cru Les Épenottes favors juicy fruit and a soft texture. The generous, easy-drinking Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Lavières can be enjoyed sooner.

The range reaches its peak with the grands crus of the Côte de Nuits, where the estate’s expertise is on full display. Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru offers a broad, commanding structure rich in dark fruit and spice. Échezeaux Grand Cru captivates with its airy finesse and floral perfume. Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru, straddling Chambolle-Musigny and Morey-Saint-Denis, expresses an exceptional terroir with both power and velvety texture. Chambertin Grand Cru asserts its noble tannins and depth, while Chambertin Clos de Bèze Grand Cru is more open, richer and sumptuously fragrant. Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru emphasizes minerality and precision. The more generous Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru offers velvety roundness and vibrant fruit, completing a collection of Burgundy grands crus.