Made using tiny berries, this is Louis’ most concentrated wine in 2014. A rich, magisterial purple, with plump, ripe, dark fruit, this is extremely pure. Despite the concentration, the wine remains very fresh and crunchy behind: ripe, vivacious and impressive.

The good thing about having a domaine shared between Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits is that you are unlikely to sustain hail damage in every vineyard in any given vintage. The bad thing is that your Côte de Beaune vineyards will have suffered three years in a row. So this year we concentrate on Gevrey-Chambertin, where Louis’s results are excellent in 2014.

After displaying a lacy, stylish bouquet of charming fruit, the palate of this Gevrey-Chambertin Les Evocelles from la Vougeraie is surprisingly dense before a fine and long, deliciously fresh finish.

Les Evocelles has an attractive, medium range purple fruit and quite perfumed nose. Very juicy, with a lovely limestone lift at the back from this hillside site, this is very stylish.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director

Louis Boillot seemed remarkably cheerful for a man who has made so little wine this year, the poor flowering taking as much toll as the hail. Most cuvées have slightly more new wood in 2012 because of the shortage of wine, but the concentration of the fruit is easily able to absorb this.

With beautiful aromatics, medium density and much more about finesse than power, this Gevrey-Chambertin is lacy and distinguished. It is a really graceful wine for drinking over the medium term.
Jasper Morris MW, Berrys' Burgundy Director Pierre Vincent’s reputation has been blossoming over the last few vintages, as critic’s rate his wines increasingly highly and repeated success at the International Wine Challenge has been rewarded with the Len Evans Trophy for consistency over 5 years. Pierre is looking to major on delicacy while building persistence, to which end the new oak component is being reduced and the whole bunch fermentation percentage increased. The Vougeraie 2011s were picked over 12 days, beginning on the 31st August.

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This regular bottling of Les Evocelles has a fine brisk purple colour and charming fruit, medium-bodied pretty red fruit notes including a touch of raspberry. It is elegance personified, not too weighty, but stylish, racy and with a fine long finish.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Director

Two recent trends which have been continued here by winemaker Pierre Vincent are a slight reduction in the amount of new oak, which now mostly comes from the local forest of Cîteaux, and a slight increase in the use of stems during vinification. The latter is subtly judged though, as there is very rarely any outright feel of the stems in the bouquet or on the palate. 2010 is a tiny crop here, averaging out at 24 hl/ha across the cellar but the wines are magically concentrated.

This is a preferred hillside vineyard that delivers tiny berries, which give a vivid purple colour, spice on the nose and intense red fruit flavours. This is a bundle of energy and absolutely terrific in 2011.
Jasper Morris MW,Berrys' Burgundy Director The effects of the big freeze in December 2009 continue to be felt at Domaine Louis Boillot, as some of the vines haven’t yet recovered. There is even less of the village Gevrey-Chambertin than last year, but fortunately the excellent Les Evocelles Cuvée is not affected. In order to respect the freshness and delicacy of the vintage, Louis Boillot cut down the amount of punching down during vinification. This ensured the provision of elegance over extraction and his policy has clearly worked very well.

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An attractive pale Pinot colour with a superb elegant nose, floral notes and graceful red fruit. Strawberry characters on the palate joined by some black fruit and a delicious brambly finish.
Jasper Morris, MW - Wine Buyer

The harvest began with whites on 26th September, before the rain, then the reds were brought in during less good weather, with sorting necessary. The stems were ripe enough to allow for whole bunch vinification, and Pierre has chosen the soft pedal in 2013: not much punching down, more an infusion approach, less new wood and perhaps a shorter time in barrel. Pierre can see some elements of 2008 but with more weight, more flattering wines overall.

Burgundy 2012 En Primeur - Staff Favourite
Planted at 36000 vines per hectare Les Evocelles must be among the highest density plantings in France. As a result the vines compete for water and nutrients producing small, highly flavoured berries. The wine shows ripe berries with rich cherry notes, finesse of a fine tannic structure and a finish that continues for a very long time. The 100% whole clusters are easily blended with the ripeness of fruit.

This superb domaine grows in reputation and also in size: this year sees the first vintage of Nuits-St Georges, Clos de Thorey. Look out for even further additions in the next two years. Winemaker Pierre Vincent’s style is for lighter colours and very sensual wines and he has done a cracking job again in 2012; a vintage which supported the plentiful use of whole bunch fermentation. The domaine is certified organic and fully biodynamic.

The vines here are 60 years old. Evocelles lies in the neighbouring commune of Brochon where there is more limestone. The vineyard is also quite high, producing a leaner, perhaps more ascetic style, but there is no denying the power. The tannins are finely ripe and sculpted. Drink 2021-2030. Adam Bruntlett, Wine Buyer

Louis Boillot came to Chambolle-Musigny, where his partner Ghislaine Barthod is based, from Gevrey-Chambertin, though as his full range of wines indicates, he is descended from the Volnay family of Boillots. He was formerly associated with his brother and father at Domaine Lucien Boillot, but set up on his own from the 2003 vintage. In 2013, Louis supplemented his holdings in the Côte d’Or with the purchase of just over four hectares of well-sited old vines in the north of Moulin-à-Vent (the fruit of which you’ll find on pages 54 and 55). Louis and Ghislaine have recently been joined by their son Clément. Given that Louis thought that his 2015s were among the best wines he has ever made, it is quite a step up for him to say that, categorically, this is his best-ever vintage. It is an assertion that’s hard to refute. His eschewing of current trends in winemaking (no whole-bunch here) and a modest, reflective stance has allowed him to get the best out of his extraordinary array of vineyards and old vines. There are wonderful expressions of each vineyard this year.