Something that often strikes us when we visit France is the expanded sense of time. The countryside is littered with twelfth century chateaux, Roman era churches, even remains of neolithic settlements. Vignerons in particular have an expanded time horizon – the vines they plant today may not be mature until their children are grown; Champagne producers lay down their vintage bottles imagining what the world will be like in ten years when they finally disgorge them.
The Boursot family in Chambolle-Musigny has been growing grapes on the same hillsides since 1550. The most recent generation has upgraded the facilities and the focus, and their wines have begun to gain substantial critical interest. Our tasting there last week was terrific, as the winemakers blend their considerable history with cutting edge winemaking techniques.
Boursot’s simplest cuvée, their Bourgogne rouge, comes from vines near Vosne-Romanée and Chambolle-Musigny, and this origin helps explain the wine’s unusual refinement. Inexpensive regional level Burgundy can lack complexity or freshness, and in recent hot summers many have devolved into “fruit bombs.” Boursot’s avoids both traps, emerging as a wine with unparalleled subtlety for its level.
Clocking in at 13% alcohol, with fine grained but subtle tannins, the Boursot 2019 Bourgogne rouge is like the Bourgogne rouge of a decade ago. (The pricing may remind you of the aughts as well.) The nose shows wild cherry, chalk, and earth, bursting with unoaked freshness. The mouth is fine-boned and dry with just enough tannin to support the delicate fruit, and a classic Burgundian minerality.
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Boursot Bourgogne rouge 2019
bottle price: $25
