Critic ratings
robert_parker
2014
Rating:
94
–94
From 45-year-old vines in a south-facing, 0.4-hectare plot inside the prestigious Monts Damnés, the 2014 Sancerre Comtesse is a picture-book Sancerre. Pure and subtle on the lovely clear, fresh and aromatic but also mineral nose, it indicates ripe white and yellow fruits perfectly intertwined with crushed limestone, thyme and elderberry flavors. Full-bodied yet pure, highly elegant and very complex on the palate, this is a lean yet dense and perfectly balanced Mont-Damnés with a long and persistent, beautifully aromatic, as well as salty finish. Still young and with further potential, but you can already enjoy La Comtesse with great pleasure.
robert_parker
2011
Rating:
92
–93
From barrel, the Boulay 2011 Sancerre Comtesse leads with a sweetly scented bouquet of iris and honeysuckle, followed by quince and white peach, all combining on a lush, silken-textured, liquidly floral, almost honeyed palate that seems to glow with intensity and against which, remarkably for this vintage, chalky and seemingly crystalline mineral elements emerge to engage in a long and dynamic finishing interchange. This looks to fulfill the promise of this special spot on the Monts Damnes even as the 2010, inexplicably, does not. Look for at least a decade of intrigue and seduction.
Gerard Boulay, like Thomas Labaille, has just moved into his own spacious new warehouse-like facility along the main road from Chavignol to Sancerre. He is thrilled to at last not be constrained by tight cellar facilities, as well as to have a common location where he can show and sell, as well as raise his young wines. There has seldom, if ever, been a finer pair of vintages back to back here than 2010 and 2011, which among other things fully vindicates Boulay’s decision – which might initially have seemed too eager – to proliferate progressively more expensive cuvees. At the same time, the basic bottlings from this address – in pink as well as white – remain consistently outstanding values. (Granted, 2009 is the exception that proves the rule.) It’s a pleasure to witness the buzz beginning at last to collect both in France and abroad around this diligent grower whose wines for so long far-excelled his modest reputation. (Full disclosure: In my previous profession, I was an early importer of Boulay’s wines ... but as such, I have also had chance to taste lots of old wines from this cellar, and thus know whereof I speak!) Boulay picked from September 3-14, 2011 and began on the 25th in 2010. As if to make amends for nature’s 2009 naughtiness and any complicity for which he might have felt responsible, Boulay’s bottlings in both subsequent vintages are notably low in alcohol, rarely exceeding 13%.
Thomas Calder Selection (various importers), Paris; fax 011-33-1-46-45-15-29
robert_parker
2010
Rating:
90
–90
Originating as usual in a particularly sweet spot low down on the Monts Damnes, Boulay’s 2010 Sancerre Comtesse leads with effusive, sweet freesia perfume, abetted by sweet lime, grapefruit, and white peach. Rich, but severely, almost hyper-concentrated on the palate, with a strong sense of bitter-edged citrus oil, it sacrifices the primary juiciness, transparency, or exchange of fruit and mineral that characterizes the best wines in the current collection (or indeed, for that matter, the vintage in Sancerre as a whole). While not alcoholically freighted – and undeniably impressively persistent – this palpably dense, persistently perfumed offering seems unlikely to achieve elegance or grace. Still, it’s a formidable contender for at least 6-8 years of bottle maturation and we’ll see what they bring. “These were the best looking and most aromatic grapes of the harvest,” notes Boulay. Perhaps somehow too good?
Gerard Boulay, like Thomas Labaille, has just moved into his own spacious new warehouse-like facility along the main road from Chavignol to Sancerre. He is thrilled to at last not be constrained by tight cellar facilities, as well as to have a common location where he can show and sell, as well as raise his young wines. There has seldom, if ever, been a finer pair of vintages back to back here than 2010 and 2011, which among other things fully vindicates Boulay’s decision – which might initially have seemed too eager – to proliferate progressively more expensive cuvees. At the same time, the basic bottlings from this address – in pink as well as white – remain consistently outstanding values. (Granted, 2009 is the exception that proves the rule.) It’s a pleasure to witness the buzz beginning at last to collect both in France and abroad around this diligent grower whose wines for so long far-excelled his modest reputation. (Full disclosure: In my previous profession, I was an early importer of Boulay’s wines ... but as such, I have also had chance to taste lots of old wines from this cellar, and thus know whereof I speak!) Boulay picked from September 3-14, 2011 and began on the 25th in 2010. As if to make amends for nature’s 2009 naughtiness and any complicity for which he might have felt responsible, Boulay’s bottlings in both subsequent vintages are notably low in alcohol, rarely exceeding 13%.
Thomas Calder Selection (various importers), Paris; fax 011-33-1-46-45-15-29
robert_parker
2005
Rating:
93
–93
A conscientious grower with a growing collection of old vines, Boulay’s wines – while delicious in youth – can be riveting after 7-12 years. From 50 year old vines in the choicest section of his new Mont Damnes vineyard, Boulay bottled a 2005 Sancerre Comtesse that displays a gorgeous nose of lime sherbet, honey, grapefruit, white peach, fennel, and a hint of Alsace Riesling-like petrol, as well as more chalky, Sancerre-typical minerality and brightness than its 2005 stable mates. Lush and rich on the palate – where peach and citrus are joined by honeydew melon – but clear and refined, this carries a billowing elegance into its creamy yet clear and refreshing finish, with mint, anise, and subtly chalky notes accenting the fruit. Ten grams of residual sugar are supportive but scarcely noticeable as sweetness.
A Thomas Calder Selection (various importers), Paris; fax 011-33-1-46-45-15-29.