Wine Advisor
Henri Boillot, Batard Montrachet Grand Cru 2011
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted blind at the Burgundy 2011 horizontal tasting in Beaune. The Bâtard-Montrachet 2011 from Henri Boillot was the one disappointment from what was otherwise a strong set of wines from this vintage. It does not have the complexity of Olivier Leflaive’s Bâtard with light citrus and orange-blossom aromas that seem a little static. The palate has a reductive note on the entry. The acidity is nicely judged, but there is too much SO2 masking the finish.
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
Although obviously still an infant, the 2011 Batard- Montrachet is a wine of tremendous potential. There is gorgeous depth and richness in the fruit, but the minerality and sheer tension of the wine are only apparent on the finish. When I taste the Batard I think of a wine where the whole is greater than the sum of its parts. The 2011 is harmonious and flat-out gorgeous. Anticipated maturity: 2014+. (Not yet released) Henri Boillot recently finished his move to a new modern cellar in Champ Lins, one of the industrial sections of Meursault. Boillot describes his 2011s as having a bit more richness and better balance of fruit and acidity than the 2010s. Based on what I tasted, it’s hard to argue that point. Boillot seems to be one case where the 2011s have the potential to be better across the board than the 2010s. As is often the case here, the village wines are particularly strong. Importers: Massanois Imports, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 470-6769, Cynthia Hurley French Wines, West Newton, MA Tel 617-965-4251 www.cynthiahurley.com and Chelsea Ventures, LLC, 1601 South Canal St, Chicago, IL 60616 tel. 847-920-5052
Reviewed by: Antonio Galloni
Tasted blind at the Burgundy 2011 horizontal tasting in Beaune. The Bâtard-Montrachet 2011 from Henri Boillot was the one disappointment from what was otherwise a strong set of wines from this vintage. It does not have the complexity of Olivier Leflaive’s Bâtard with light citrus and orange-blossom aromas that seem a little static. The palate has a reductive note on the entry. The acidity is nicely judged, but there is too much SO2 masking the finish.
About the Producer
Domaine Henri Boillot, located in the wine-producing village of Meursault in the Cote de Beaune, Burgundy, France, is a winery with a long history of quality. The vineyards of Château Boileau are located in the Côtes de Bern and Cote de Nuits appellations. The grapes for the white wines are mainly produced in the Grand Cru and Premier Cru of Prigny-Montrachet, where the soil is mainly brown limestone with occasional limestone clay soils, giving the white wines a complex and elegant taste. The grapes for the red wines come mainly from the first growths of the Volnay appellation, where the soils are mainly schist and limestone, giving the wines aromatic intensity and finesse. Château Boisrot follows traditional winemaking techniques. When the grapes reach optimum ripeness, they are picked by hand and transported to the winery. In the winery, the grapes are carefully selected and destemmed by the winery workers in order to select the best quality fruit. For the white wines, the grapes are pressed after breaking their skins and the must is then poured into fermenters where it is partially fermented and transferred to new French oak barrels for maturation. Unlike white wines, red wines are made by placing the broken skins of the grapes directly into the fermenters, allowing the skins to come into contact with the juice to extract the right amount of pigments, tannins and flavours. After fermentation, all red wines are matured in new French oak barrels, allowing oxygen to penetrate through the grain and soften the tannins, giving the wine a smooth texture and complex aromas. Currently, all of Château Boisrot's white wines are made from Chardonnay, a fresh and fruity wine that has been described as the 'star of white wines' in Burgundy. The red wines are all made from Pinot Noir, a rich and powerful wine that has received a great deal of praise from wine critics and wine reviewers.
