Jean-Claude Boisset, Volnay 1er Cru `Les Santenots`

Jean-Claude Boisset, Volnay 1er Cru `Les Santenots`

Vintage: 2022

VintageProduct CodeFormatClosureAvailability
2022BO301B226 x 75Natural CorkAvailable
Producer

Jean-Claude Boisset is a family-owned wine company founded in 1961, with their first parcel located in Gevrey-Chambertin. Today the company is based in Les Ursulines, a former convent in Nuits-Saint-Georges and is run by brother and sister duo Jean-Charles and Nathalie Boisset. In 2018, they opened a new state-of-the-art winery, reflecting their modern, technical approach to winemaking.

Since 2002, the wines have been made by Grégory Patriat. Previously head viticulturist and assistant winemaker at the legendary Domaine Leroy, Grégory has brought a detailed, vineyard-led approach to Jean-Claude Boisset. This approach is mirrored in Grégory’s winemaking, resulting in wines that reflect their origins with a harmony of freshness and fruit expression. After tasting the 2021 vintage, Jancis Robinson wrote that she “was utterly knocked out by the balance and refinement of Grégory Patriat’s wines at J-C Boisset”.

Today, Grégory makes 45 wines from across the Côte d’Or, working closely with his team of growers throughout the year. He gets just as excited about his plot of Grand Cru ‘Clos de la Roche’ (from which he has been buying fruit since 2002) or his vines in Chambolle-Musigny (which includes a parcel of the Premier Cru ‘Clos de l’Orme’), as he does with his Aligoté, his Fixin Blanc or other lesser-known appellations.

His philosophy is simple: work with old, massal selection vines that produce highly concentrated, low-yielding fruit. In the cellar, he is non-interventionist, preferring to let the fruit express itself. “70-80% of the quality comes from the vineyard,” he says. Vinification for the reds is in large, open-topped oak foudres, while the whites are fermented in Chassin barrels. Since 2007, Grégory has introduced larger 450-litre barrels to reduce the influence of oak.

Grégory’s wines have won no fewer than 74 medals and 13 trophies from prestigious competitions over the past eight years, including the International Wine Challenge ‘Clos de la Roche’ Trophy, which he has won five times.

Vineyards

‘Les Santenots’ is a Premier Cru curiosity. Located just south of the Volnay commune boundary and actually within the commune of Meursault, it is both a Meursault Premier Cru (for whites) and a Volnay Premier Cru (for reds). Grégory works with a small Pinot Noir parcel here on brown marl soils peppered with small pebbles. The 67-year-old vines here are east-facing and Guyot trained. There are two theories about the name ‘Santenots’. It could be derived from the Latin ‘sentes’ meaning brambles, or from the Gaulish word ‘sentu’ meaning path, alluding to the routes down to the Roman road near Auxey-Duresses.

Vintage

Following the challenges of 2021, the 2022 vintage in Burgundy is characterised by abundance and excellence. Despite heatwaves and the largest drought in Burgundy since 1976, 2022 emerged as a generous vintage, with excellent quality and yields far exceeding the three previous years. The growing season began with a cold winter, which delayed budburst and ensured most vineyards escaped April frosts unscathed. Optimal spring conditions followed and the vines grew quickly, with flowering taking place in mid-May. The summer was hot and dry, yet rain showers at the end of June replenished water reserves and allowed vines to thrive. Harvest at Jean-Claude Boisset began on 29th August with the Corton ‘Les Renardes’ Grand Cru parcel and finished on 14th September. The grapes were in such excellent condition that virtually no sorting was required. Having tracked the ‘élevage’ process over the past year, Grégory Patriat describes 2022 as “a beautiful vintage”. He is particularly excited by the potential longevity of the wines, which balance fantastic concentration with remarkable freshness.

Vinification

The hand-harvested Pinot Noir was carefully sorted on the winery sorting table before being gravity fed into tank for a cool pre-fermentation maceration at 12°C for four days. Fermentation followed with 40% whole bunch and indigenous yeasts. Only three punch downs were carried out during the ferment and total maceration time on the skins (including the pre-fermentation maceration) was 20 days. Following fermentation, the wine was aged for 10 months in lightly toasted, 228-litre, French oak barrels, 33% of which were new. 4,229 bottles produced.

Tasting Notes & Technical Details

Deep ruby red in colour, this wine reveals a prominent nose of violets, followed by aromas of red berries and white pepper. Incredibly fresh and juicy on the palate, with great acidity and good length.

Alcohol (ABV)

13%