2005 Volnay Les Fremiets 1er Cru

Following the elimination of rotten grapes, Henri Boillot produced an average of barely 20 hectoliters per hectare from his pinot parcels in 2006. "I couldn't make a living with just pinot in 2006," he told me, adding that he needed the higher-yielding chardonnay, where crop levels were virtually twice as high. "The rot in the pinot in 2006 was more visible and thus it was easier to sort," he went on, "while in 2007 the clusters and the berries seemed healthy on the outside, but there were problems on the inside." Due to a "difficult" veraison in 2006, Boillot carried out "a harvest before the harvest," removing a lot of green and pink grapes at the beginning of September. The result of this effort, he says, was much more even ripeness than he would otherwise have obtained. Potential alcohol levels were also in the high 13% to 13.5% range, and Boillot told me that 2006 was the first year he did not chaptalize his pinot noir (his first red vintage was 1988). Boillot did more punchdowns in 2006 than in 2005 or 2007, actually beginning during the cold soak and then typically doing three pigeages per day during the fermentation, as the color came slowly. Boillot noted that Beaune suffered the most from rain, and that Volnay fared best in 2006, "by far."

"What I like about the 2005 vintage is its dynamism," said Henri Boillot. "The wines are even more vigorous than the '99s here, due in part to lower yields. Higher levels of dry extract give wines a rigidity, more force. And of course, the great years in Burgundy are the years when you don't have to do a triage of the fruit, like '99 and '90." Boillot told me that there was a half inch or so of rain at the end of August, and then the north wind dried the grapes and concentrated the sugars. Still, he said, the potential alcohols of 12.5% to 12.8% were not exceptionally high, and the bottled wines will be just under 13%. Boillot did what he described as "the simplest vinification possible, with just one punch-down per day. The color came quickly after just two days of cold maceration." The '05s had been racked about two weeks prior to my visit. (The Sorting Table, Napa, CA) Also recommended: Beaune Clos du Roi (86), Volnay Les Fremiets (86).