It is not every day we come across a 22ha domaine in Burgundy we have never encountered before that are producing wines of outstanding quality. So we were taken aback during our visit to Genot-Boulanger in Spring 2018, a tasting which proved startling for its consistent brilliance for both white and red wines. The Domaine began its history as the life-long dream of two Parisian pharmacists, Charles-Henri Génot and his wife Marie Boulanger, that was realised when they moved to Meursault and purchased vineyards in Mercurey in 1974. They began to gradually build up the Domaine with further acquisitions in the Côte d'Or including Meursault, Volnay and Chassagne. In 1995 the Domaine expanded again into the Côte de Nuits, Corton and Aloxe-Corton Clos du Chapitre. By 1998 Francois Delaby had inherited 22 prime hectares of vineyard area in Burgundy. He was joined by daughter Aude and son in law Guillaume Lavollée who, in turn, took over the running of the Domaine in 2008, becoming the fourth family generation of the estate's history. Aude and Guillaume were clear on their mission from the off - to produce wines that express the complexity and finesse of their great Burgundian terroirs - recognising the quality of the vineyard to be the most important factor to get right. So they began their tenure by concentrating on viticulture and the health of the soil, starting conversion to organic farming - a process that ended with full certification in 2018. Winemaking follows a non-interventionist approach. For reds whole bunches are included during fermentation to a small degree when appropriate, or equally berries are completely de-stalked depending on the vintage. Fermentations are with indigenous yeasts and extractions are gentle. The wines are aged with 20% new oak barrels for 12 months followed by 6 months ageing in tank. The whites undergo the same process, the only difference being no sulphur is added to them until after malolactic fermentation. Rather like Aude and Guillaume themselves the wines are precise, composed and elegant. These are beautiful, noble burgundies that effortlessly give plenty of pleasure and can be considered among the Côte's greats.
2018 Vintage
Another one of the most exciting 2018 tastings we experienced. We certainly cannot think of any other domaine in the Côte that excelled so equally and consistently in red and white. An excellent vintage too, for the domaine to officially convert to organics, the health of the grapes was impeccable. In Guillaume Lavollée’s words: “this is the first time I have made such a homogenous vintage in red and white. It was a fabulous year everywhere across our 21ha”. Harvest started on the 28th August for reds and whites. The wines are generous, ripe and have good acidity. What more can you ask for? The whites were pressed quite firmly, and no sulphur was added before fermentation. After a year in barrel, of which very little is new oak, the wines spend six months in steel tank. Guillaume decided not to include any whole-bunch fermentation for the reds this year, deciding that the wines would be fresher and more elegant without. Whilst offering generosity and openness they also display incredible verve for such a warm vintage. In both colours these are some of 2018’s most vivid, translucent and elegant wines.
2019 Vintage
A vintage like 2019 plays perfectly into the hands of the precise but light-touch wine-growing of Génot Boulanger. The harvest started on the 10th September, finishing on the 19th. Guillaume Lavollée noted that, despite high ripeness levels, tartaric acids were naturally higher in the grapes than in 2018. Winemaking was broadly the same: whites were not sulphured before fermentation, as usual, so the must was not cooled down too much, to ensure quick fermentations. For the reds, all of the grapes were destemmed, and extractions were very gentle indeed. There was no pigeage at all and only a little remontage. This is very much a feature of red-winemaking here and Guillaume was at pains to point out this was even more important in a warm vintage “where extraction comes very naturally and easily.” In terms of the wines, Guillaume describes the vintage as an incredibly consistent and balanced one in both colours. The whites are “full-bodied, textured but elegant. The reds are serious and intense but with good Pinot delicacy and softness of structure.” It is remarkable how Guillaume conjures such consistent high quality from all of the wines, in both colours. A hugely impressive range that is faithful to the sunny character of the vintage, but expressed in the most elegant and terroir-transparent of ways. With whites that are voluptuous and full of vineyard expression, and Pinots that are supremely delicate and sensual yet intense, we consider this Domaine to have made one the greatest Cote de Beaune ranges in 2019. Outstanding.
2020 Vintage
This is another Domaine for which 2020 represents their best vintage yet. Guillaume Lavollée continues to perfect his art, producing a stunning array of whites that glisten with freshness and sunshine. The best in the range rate amongst the greatest whites of the vintage, whilst the reds are undoubtedly some of the most gentle and luminescent in the Côte. Pinot Noir extractions are always light and soft here, but this was even more the case in 2020 – a potentially powerful vintage that needed care and attention during vinification. There were no pigeages at all in 2020 at Génot-Boulanger, only remontages. Harvest was a quick one, carried out between the 21st and 29th August, yielding a small crop of Pinots (25hl/ha). Guillaume was “very happy with the reds, they have a lot of drinkability and a bit more freshness than in 2019 with a little less alcohol – which ranges between 13 to 13.5%” The whites are equally moreish; a stellar range at every level – villages, 1er Cru and Grand Cru. As the grapes were so healthy, there was very little debourbage and Guillaume kept a lot of lees during ageing to give grip to the whites. As ever no sulphur was added during vinification, only when required during élevage. The whites, as a rule, were aged in 10% new oak for 12 months, followed by 6 months in tank. The reds were all destalked.
2021 Vintage
While this is the smallest vintage Guillaume Lavolée has produced at Génot-Boulanger, we firmly believe these are the greatest reds that he’s produced in his career. The whites are at their usual high level, but the reds, where some innovative and thoughtful winemaking tweaks were put in place, have, to our minds, found a new level of refinement and grace in this vintage. “I love the results of Pinot and Chardonnay in this kind of vintage” Guillaume noted, sounding impressively glass half full about things when you consider his cellar is only 20% full. The season threw up all the usual challenges, particularly for an organic farmer, but through hard work and much sorting, only ripe and clean fruit was brought into the cellar. When it came to vinifying the wines, a gentle hand was employed. Pumping down only during the post-fermentation stage helped to build mid-palate flesh while avoiding any hard tannin creeping in, and élevage took place without any recourse to new oak. The resulting purity, texture and flow of the wines shows off Pinot’s great capacity to thrive in difficult vintages. This is a range of wines that are translucent yet intense, floating, characterful and speak clearly of their origins. The whites, where volumes are even smaller, are intense and structured at times, flowing and deep at others, but throughout, maintain a sense of poise and freshness in harmonious balance that will make them a joy to drink in years to come.
2022 Vintage
2022 is a normal sized crop for Guillaume Lavollée, one in which his team carried out their usual strict pruning and debudding regime early in the season, to negate the need to green harvest later in the year. “It was one of the easier vintages to manage in the vineyards” Guillaume recalled, “the main problem was a lack of water during summer. Our vineyards lower down the slopes were untroubled, but certain high vineyards suffered from the drought. And this suffering was not a problem for the fruit, but it definitely was for the vines, particularly the younger vines.” This large and luminous range of wines was a joy to taste from barrel, giving off the sense that both the older vines, and team Genot Boulanger, have truly harnessed the best bits of the sunshine in 2022. “We had no pressure, we were not in a rush, we had time. It was hot, but not too hot, and we had humidity in the mornings after cool nights.” You find the calm mirrored in the range. These are excellent 2022s.
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