Gevrey-Chambertin 2022 – Jean-Claude Boisset

The grapes to produce the Gevrey-Chambertin Jean-Claude Boisset were hand picked and collected in 20 kilogram perforated crates. They were sorted first in the vineyard and a second time upon arrival at the winery. The fruit was destemmed but not crushed and was gravity-fed into tanks. Maceration lasted a total of 23 days, including one week of cold maceration at 12°C. Fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks using only indigenous yeast. Following fermentation, the wine was aged on for 16 months in oak barrels, of which 40% were new. The barrels were toasted at low temperatures for a prolonged period of time, to impact a delicate seasoning of oak to the finished wine. The wine was bottled unfined by gravity after a gentle filtration.

Gevrey-Chambertin is one of the largest and most well-known appellations in the Côte de Nuits, with a vineyard area of 330 hectares, situated between 240-280 metres above sea level. The limestone soils are rich in iron with a good proportion of clay and marl, producing round and concentrated wines. Grapes for this Gevrey-Chambertin come from two parcels named ‘Billard en Brochon’ and ‘Aux Echezeaux’. The vines are 40-years-old and farmed using careful vine management techniques, including pruning, debudding and cluster thinning to restrict yields and concentrate the vines’ reserves into fewer grapes, as well as shoot and leaf positioning to ensure that the grapes were fully exposed to the sun.

Jean-Claude Boisset is a family-owned wine company founded in 1961. Jean-Claude’s first parcel of land was located in Gevrey-Chambertin and today the company is based in Les Ursulines, a former convent in Nuits-Saint-Georges, and run by his children Jean-Charles and Nathalie. In 2018, they opened a new state-of-the-art winery, which reflects their modern, technical approach to winemaking. In 2002, Jean-Charles recruited Grégory Patriat, who had previously worked at the legendary Vosne-Romanée producer Domaine Leroy, to revitalise and reinvent the house. He transformed Boisset into a ‘viniculteur’, working closely with the growers, guiding the wines from vine to bottle to achieve the desired quality. In order to create concentrated, beautifully well-rounded wines which are naturally expressive of their individual appellation, Grégory practises minimal intervention winemaking. Each plot is picked separately and hand sorted to ensure optimal maturity. Sulphite levels are low and the wines are fermented exclusively by natural yeasts, with rarely more than 30% new oak used on a wine.