Domaine Louis Boillot Pommard 1er Cru ‘les Fremiers’ 2021

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

As purity, expression and transparency increasingly dominate the discourse in Burgundy, the prices for wines from icons like Mugnier, Roumier and Rousseau have skyrocketed.
But for every Mugnier or Rousseau, there are a handful of domaines who make wines of profound expression, but whose prices remain attractive. At the top of our list of such producers is Louis Boillot.

Louis Boillot’s emerging position in the Burgundy firmament is not accidental. Despite having only launched his domaine in 2002, he came armed with some of the oldest and best situated vineyards in Burgundy—thanks to four generations of Boillots having acquired prime sites in Volnay and Gevrey Chambertin.

About Domaine Louis Boillot

Louis Boillot in concert with his wife Ghislaine Barthod and their son Clément Boillot-Barthod manages a fabulous array of old-vine vineyards and turn out some of the most beautiful red Burgundy along the Cote d’Or.

Louis Boillot recently acquired 4 hectares in Moulin-a-Vent; wines that are absolutely delicious and worth your consideration, they are very Burgundian Cru Beaujolais’.

Spit Bucket have mapped out the Boillot domains

In the Vineyard

In the years since his move to Chambolle, there has been a wildly impressive advance in the stature of Boillot’s wines. It has been a change marked not by flash or dazzle, but by an inexorable march towards increasingly refined and transparent wines.

Today, as in the past, at the heart of his style is a profound respect for the terroir of his old vines. In Gevrey-Chambertin for example, his villages vines average over 50 years old, as do the vines for his premier cru-quality Evocelles. His Champonnet proves this little-seen site ranks among Gevery’s best premier crus. And the Cherbaudes, from 90+ year old vines, is frequently of grand cru quality.

He makes a profound Nuit-St. Georges 1er cru Pruliers, also from 90+ year old vines. And, in Chambolle-Musigny, Louis and Ghislaine purchased and divided a significant part of Beaux Bruns.

Louis’ Côte de Beaune vineyards are equally imposing, with 55+ year old vines in the villages Volnay Grands Poisots. Also in Volnay, there are three premier crus: the supple Les Angles, the intense old-vine Brouillards and the esteemed Caillerets. Just down the road, there are two great Pommard premier crus: a robust Fremiers and monumental Croix Noires.

In fact, it’s hard to imagine the wines of so many great Burgundy terroirs slumbering in the same cellar. Between Louis and Ghislaine, there are 26 different cuvées, of which 17 are premier cru. Louis and Ghislaine’s son Clément stands to inherit both domaines one day, creating a single estate of dizzying stature.

The vineyard management has been combined, with Louis responsible for not only his own vines, but those of Ghislaine as well.

It’s no wonder Ghislaine lets Louis take care of her vines. He’s a master with more than 30 years of experience—employing the minimum of interventions, and meticulously pruning for balanced yields. His winemaking is equally timeless, featuring extended, gentle extractions and a limited use of new barrels.

In the Winery

Louis’ domaine has quietly become one of the most admired small estates in the Côte d’Or. The turning point came in the mid-2000s, when he and his partner—the supremely talented Ghislaine Barthod—built a cave together in Chambolle-Musigny.

This brought two of Burgundy’s most gifted winemakers together—working and tasting side by side—with the alchemy you’d expect.

The 2021 Vintage at Domain Louis Boillot

I again met with the young Clément Boillot, who is the son of Ghislaine Barthod and Louis Boillot (see below). Clément is slowly taking over both domaines and while his parents remain very much involved, it’s clear he is the future. The younger Boillot noted that 2021 had a “tough-to-manage growing season between early season frost followed by pretty much constant disease pressure. We picked between the 18th of September and the 2nd of October as the frost definitely affected the uniformity of the ripening cycle. It was definitely necessary to sort carefully though mainly for underripe berries. Yields were all over the place though basically low as it was mainly just a question of how low. On average yields came in at 23 hl/ha though they were as low as 6 hl/ha for Evocelles and Caillerets [Both for Domaine Louis Boillot.] Potential alcohols largely ranged from 11.5 to 12% so we chaptalized up to 0.5%. While the acidities initially seemed to be on the high side, much of it was malic so when the secondary fermentations were finished, the pHs were in the 3.6 to 3.7 range, which is not especially low. While I don’t have a lot of perspective on what other vintages 2021 might resemble, it definitely produced wines of much more limited maturities than did say 2018, 2019 and 2020. I like the style as it’s fresh and energetic plus the underlying terroirs are crystal clear.” 

Allen Meadows, Burghound

“Louis Boillot was delighted with the 2021 vintage at this address, recounting how his son Clément was anxious while vinifying this crop, his first experience with such a challenging growing season, and how he reassured him that the wines would be not merely honorable but exceptional. Fragrant, pure and precise, they will delight Burgundy purists. And, as I’ve written before, 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 once again that everything here comes warmly recommended.”

William Kelley

Where in the World is Domaine Louis Boillot?

Domaine Louis Boillot shares a winery in Chambolle-Musigny with his wife Ghislain Barthod. He has plantings through out Chambolle, Gevrey-Chambertin, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Beaune, Volnay, and Pommard. Together with son Clément they acquired 4 Ha of Moulin-a-Vent in Beaujolais.

This wine is from Pommard in the Côte du Beaune.