2016 Volnay Le Ronceret 1er Cru

Lydie Boillot, who told me that her father Jean-Marc recently retired at the age of 68 after making 47 vintages, believes that 2016 will be a good vintage to age thanks to its firm acid framework. She’s also concerned that the ‘15s “will give surprises in a negative way on ageability.” Two thousand fifteen was a hotter year that produced richer wines, so, needless to say, Jean-Marc Boillot, who has consistently been an early picker with the objective of retaining freshness, prefers both his 2014s and 2016s. (By the way, I find it hard to believe that the energetic Jean-Marc will be pried away from his vineyards or cellar anytime soon.)

The 2016 harvest began on September 19, with potential alcohol levels around 12.5%. The estate lost about 50% of its crop overall, making no Beaune at all and suffering serious frost losses in the lower sections of Pommard Jarollières and Rugiens. Production in Volnay Le Ronceret and Carelle Sous La Chapelle was off by 50% but Pitures was not affected, according to Lydie Boillot. The estate bottled early (in December) as the Boillots wanted to preserve the crunchy fruit character of the vintage.

The estate carries out a pre-fermentation cold maceration lasting five or six days, using a layer of dry ice to chill the tank. This process “explodes some of the grapes, making for a good combination of grapes and juice in the fermenter,” explained Lydie, who believes that this approach yields fruitier wines. The Boillots cut back on pigeages in 2015 and 2016--just once a day for three days due to the small size of the cuvées. The 2016s were aged in roughly 50% new oak and the wines finished with alcohol levels between 13% and 13.5%, following chaptalization.