Source: The Wine Advocate; Published: Feb 13, 2020  (RP-89-91)

From eight different lieux-dits and averaging over sixty years of age, Boillot’s 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Village reveals aromas of red cherries, cassis and sweet soil tones, followed by a medium to full-bodied, succulent palate with fine concentration and chalky structure. It’s a fine Gevrey in the making.

The 2018 vintage has turned out very well indeed at this small domaine, Louis Boillot and son Clément opting to begin their harvest in late August. Yields are between 20% and 30% lower than in 2017, and alcohol percentages range from the low-12s to the mid-13s. Everything reviewed here comes warmly recommended. As I wrote last year, while Boillot is an experienced vigneron, his first solo vintage for his own label was 2003, and perhaps that’s why this address still flies under the radar. Or perhaps it’s because he—like his partner Ghislaine Barthod—lacks a “collectible” grand cru to incite speculation. But with excellent old-vine holdings in top appellations, deft winemaking and a classical aesthetic, readers should take note. Plowed vineyards, destemmed grapes, classical cuvaisons and élevage in a moderate percentage of new barrels are the rudiments of the approach.