Winemaker Notes
Critical Acclaim
All Vintages
Since 2002, Jean-Claude Boisset has been transformed by Mr. Boisset's son, Jean-Charles, from a traditional négociant into a viniculturaliste, a cross between a viticulturalist and a vinifier. The result is the Jean-Claude Boisset Collection of Wines - Burgundy through and through.
From one of the best young winemakers emerging in France, Grégory Patriat, each of the appellations is the result of rigorous selection and has been produced in limited quantities. This is the way of things in Burgundy... handcrafted in meticulous detail, according to a philosophy of "letting the vine do the work". A taste reveals our aim of striving for authentic wines in which human intervention has been kept to a bare, discreet minimum; the wines are concentrated, well-rounded, and–-of course--expressive of their terroirs.
While the city represents the epicenter of wine production in Burgundy, the term, “Beaune” also refers to the specific sub-appellation of the greater Côte de Beaune, whose vineyards climb up the pastoral slopes that border the city to its west. Originally founded as a Roman camp by Julius Caesar, the city of Beaune eventually became the seat of the dukes of Burgundy until the 13th century. Today it is home to top négociants such as Louis Jadot, Joseph Drouhin, Louis Latour, and Bouchard Père et Fils.
The appellation, dominated by Pinot Noir plantings, represents a lovely and charming place to begin to understand red Burgundy. Its sandy soils create light and supple, floral driven Pinot Noir. These wines are designed to be enjoyed within five to 10 years. The vineyards of Beaune span a broad swath of Premier Crus from Savigny-lès-Beaune to its border with Pommard.
Chardonnay acreage here has been increasing here in the more recent years.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”