The 2010 Pommard Les Rugiens emerges from the glass with unreal length and silkiness from start to finish. The aromas and flavors are distinctly nuanced and well-articulated. Mineral notes add freshness to this silky, chiseled Pommard. This is the first vintage where Boillot’s Rugiens is equal parts Rugiens-Hauts and Bas. The parcel in Rugiens-Bas is a new acquisition. Previous vintages were made just from Rugiens-Hauts. These parcels were among the last Boillot picked in 2010. Anticipated maturity: 2020-2030.
Henri Boillot turned out a superb set of 2010 reds. Best of all, readers won’t have to shell out a fortune to enjoy them, as a number of the more modestly priced wines far exceed the quality of their respective appellations. Yields came in at 20-22 hectoliters per hectare, a 40% decrease over the more typical production of 35 hectoliters per hectare. Boillot began harvesting on September 29 and ended on October 7, among the latest, if not the latest, to finish picking. Fermentations lasted about 29 days on average. Boillot has augmented his holdings with 5 hectares of vineyards that came online in 2010. I tasted all of these wines at Boillot’s cellars in Volnay. Boillot told me he plans to have his new facility in the Champ Lins section of Meursault fully operational for both whites and reds by summer 2012.
Importers: Massanois Imports, Washington, DC; tel. (202) 470-6769, Cynthia Hurley French Wines, West Newton, MA Tel 617-965-4251 www.cynthiahurley.com and Chelsea Ventures, LLC, 1601 South Canal St, Chicago, IL 60616 tel. 847-920-5052