2021 Chambolle-Musigny Village

For the first time, instead of tasting with husband and wife “partners-in-crime”, Louis Boillot and Ghislaine Barthod, I taste with their son, Clément, who is now responsible for both Domaines. That does not mean his parents are out of the picture, but rather ensuring a smooth, operational succession. Being confronted with an annus horribilis like 2021 so early in his tenure (he opened his account in 2015), with such an array of cuvées, must have stretched him to the limit. Future vintages will seem like a breeze!

“We picked from 19 September until 2 October,” he explains, always quietly spoken at first but opens up as we go along. “It was a small yield, just one or two barrels for some cuvées. The grape maturity was low, especially Evocelles and Caillerets. The former suffered frost damage that weakened vines and made them susceptible to coulure - 80% affected. Then it hailed just before harvest. So the yield is just 5hl/ha. It was the lowest yield ever for my parents – even less than in 2016. About 2.5 hectares are under organic viticulture, which underwent 14 treatments, whereas we did nine elsewhere. Most of the cuvées came in at 11.5% to 12.0% natural alcohol, and so we chaptalized by half a degree. I did just one pigeage, the rest of the maceration, just a light remontage. They will be racked in December for an earlier bottling in January instead of April, as I don’t want to absorb too much of the oak. It’s a fragile vintage.”

Ghislaine-Barthod’s wines consistently err towards the ethereal, oft-termed “transparent” side of Burgundy, a style I appreciate. That said, I feel that this challenging season denudes some of the crus substance, weight and complexity. As a result, I occasionally wish for more “wine” in my glass, more presence. Part of the reason is the minuscule quantity that denies them the flexibility to pick and choose barrels. It is what it is, the measly volumes Nature bestowed. Of course, there are exceptions, such as the sublime Les Véroilles and particularly their Les Gruenchers. It is probably a wise move to bottle them early, as Clément Boillot mentioned, allowing consumers to enjoy them in the short- to mid-term whilst awaiting the 2019s to come around. Of course, they might surprise everyone, not least myself, in maturing longer than projected. We will see.