Background

2015 was Jean-Baptiste Boudier’s very first vintage, with production totaling a modest 3 hectares – one hectare of Pernand Vergelesses Blanc, a hectare of Pernand Vergelesses Rouge 1er Cru Les Fichots, and a hectare of Bourgogne Rouge, Aloxe-Corton and Pernand Vergelesses Blanc 1er Cru Sous Frétille. These vineyards come from his family’s larger 7-hectare domaine. It was during the 2014 harvest, when Jean-Baptiste worked alongside his father during the vinification process that their different visions of wine became apparent, and they mutually decided that Jean-Baptiste deserved a chance to experiment on his own.

Though he created his domaine in while still in his 20s, Jean-Baptiste is no novice. Having already racked up an impressive list of internship experiences across France and beyond, his diplomas in viticulture and enology include a BTS at the Lycée Viticole in Beaune, a License Science de la Vigne in Dijon, and a Dîplome Nationale en Oenologie in Bordeaux. His first apprenticeship was with his second cousin, Nicolas Rossignol, in the Côte de Beaune, followed by stints in Saint Emilion, New Zealand (Georges Michel), Châteauneuf du Pape (Vieux Télégraphe), Gevrey-Chambertin (Marchand Frères), Roussillon (Domaine Gauby), and Pessac (Haut Brion). To describe him as smart, focused, and ambitious would clearly be an understatement.

Viticulture

Jean-Baptiste does not label himself organic, but emphasizes that he works with a great respect for the environment, “like all growers of my generation do…or should!” he says. He mostly works his vines and soils on his own with serious care and attentiveness, aided only in the spring/summer by a few seasonal workers.

Vinification

With such a small production even within the relative scope of Burgundy, attention to detail is key here. For reds, Jean-Baptiste mostly de-stems but loves to include partial cluster where it makes sense to do so. Vinification is light-handed and straight forward – in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts, very gentle extraction (none or one punch-down per day), and very low added sulfur (5g/hl). He prefers a short 4 to 5-day post-fermentation, rather than a pre-fermentation maceration, for a more harmonious phenolic integration.

For the whites, whole bunches are slowly and gently pressed. The must is lightly decanted, and alcoholic fermentation starts in tank but finishes in barrel. Sulfur additions are even lower for the whites (2g/hl).

Wines

Both colors display remarkable precision. The whites highlight some beautiful lesser-known, cooler terroirs with incredible detail and freshness, while the reds shine with fruit, impeccable balance, and an addictive, vibrant energy.