2019 Volnay, Les Angles, 1er Cru, Domaine Louis Boillot & Fils, Burgundy
Critics reviews
The 2019 Volnay 1er Cru Les Angles is sensual and charming, bursting from the glass with aromas of plums, raw cocoa, sweet spices and loamy soil. Medium to full-bodied, velvety and concentrated, it's lively and textural, with a broad attack and a long, expansive finish.
Like his partner Ghislaine Barthod, Louis Boillot was happy to show his 2019s from the bottle rather than taste from the barrel, and I was delighted to see just how completely all the promise they showed last year had come to fruition. In Fall 2020, Boillot ventured that 2019 is "the most elegant, refined and fresh of the recent warm vintages we've had here in Burgundy," and that's borne out in the bottle. In 2019, team Barthod-Boillot began harvest on September 7th, and they were happy to have been among the earliest to pick.
All these wines are exquisitely balanced, and while there's no grand cru to grab collectors' attention, that's probably a boon for Burgundy lovers looking for elegant, age-worthy wines—in many cases, produced from notably old vines—from the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits that still fly somewhat under the radar. In short, I can only reiterate that everything here comes warmly recommended.
Drink 2023 - 2045
William Kelley, Wine Advocate (January 2022)
About this WINE
Louis Boillot
Louis shares his cellar with his other half, Ghislaine Barthod , under their home in Chambolle, overlooking Les Feusselottes. He is part of the Boillot family from Volnay, which explains the quantity of his vineyard holdings in the Côte de Beaune.
Since striking out on his own in 2003, he has been able to maximise the potential of his many disparate small parcels – he makes 16 wines from less than seven hectares – many of which are notable for the exceptional age of their vines.
He expanded into Moulin-à-Vent in ’13 and subsequently into Fleurie, fulfilling a long-held ambition. His and Ghislaine’s son Clément is now officially in charge, while Louis focusses on his viticulture. As yet, there are no discernible changes.
In the winery
“Non-intervention” is the word here, and Louis prefers to let his old vines speak for themselves. Everything is destalked, and the wines are bottled without fining or filtration.
Volnay
The finest and most elegant red wines of the Côte de Beaune are grown in Volnay, a village which might be twinned with Chambolle- Musigny in the Côte de Nuits, for the high active chalk content in the soil and comparatively low clay content.
Whereas in earlier times Volnay was made in a particularly light, early drinking style, these days there are many producers making wines which age extremely well. The best vineyards run either side of the RN73 trunk road.- 98 hectares of village Volnay
- 115 hectares of Premier Cru vineyards (35 in all). The finest include Les Taillepieds, Clos des Chênes, Champans, Caillerets (including Clos des 60 Ouvrées) and Santenots in Meursault.
- Recommended producers: Lafarge, Lafon, de Montille
Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir is probably the most frustrating, and at times infuriating, wine grape in the world. However when it is successful, it can produce some of the most sublime wines known to man. This thin-skinned grape which grows in small, tight bunches performs well on well-drained, deepish limestone based subsoils as are found on Burgundy's Côte d'Or.
Pinot Noir is more susceptible than other varieties to over cropping - concentration and varietal character disappear rapidly if yields are excessive and yields as little as 25hl/ha are the norm for some climats of the Côte d`Or.
Because of the thinness of the skins, Pinot Noir wines are lighter in colour, body and tannins. However the best wines have grip, complexity and an intensity of fruit seldom found in wine from other grapes. Young Pinot Noir can smell almost sweet, redolent with freshly crushed raspberries, cherries and redcurrants. When mature, the best wines develop a sensuous, silky mouth feel with the fruit flavours deepening and gamey "sous-bois" nuances emerging.
The best examples are still found in Burgundy, although Pinot Noir`s key role in Champagne should not be forgotten. It is grown throughout the world with notable success in the Carneros and Russian River Valley districts of California, and the Martinborough and Central Otago regions of New Zealand.
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Description
This is part of our January 2023 sale. The price shown above includes a saving of 20%. Prices valid till January 24th and applies to 75cl bottles only and excludes BBX listings.
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