DOMAINE JEAN-BAPTISTE BOUDIER EN PRIMEUR 2021

Jean-Baptiste’s first comment on 2021 was about how difficult it had been in the vineyard. Three days of frost had ravaged the nascent buds, 7th April having been the worst. In his words, 2021 was worse than 2016, when not all the plots had been affected by the ‘white plague’. On the contrary, in 2021 all the vineyards were damaged, although for various reasons. Either the location served up the vines ‘on a silver platter’ to the frost, as happened in his cool Aloxe-Corton holdings, or it was the vineyard’s topography which ‘pulled the trigger’, like his Corton Renardes, which is exposed on the south-east facing slope, to the cold morning air.

The second ‘plague’ was the diseases triggered by the wet summer. More rain than average lead to mildew and oidium attacks, reducing the yields further. Harvest was delayed to 18th September, starting in Savigny for the domaine. It finished on the 22nd, with the plots in Aloxe, Pernand and Corton.
The last three weeks of dry and sunny weather, before the harvest, saved the vintage, allowing for the grapes to reach maturity. It is on this positive note that Jean-Baptiste concluded his description of this annus horribilis. 

Asked to describe the wines, I sensed a certain happiness and excitement in Jean-Baptiste’s voice (I had called him to get his sit-rep on the 2021s). Although the growing season was a nightmare, the bruised vines have produced a tiny crop of quality. Yields maybe 50% to 80% down, potential alcohol levels are between 12.8% and 13.2%. The crop was very healthy. There was sufficient substance to make good wines.

The red wines are elegant and refined, digest and aromatic. It is a break away from the solar ’18, ‘19’ and ’20 vintages, heavier in style. A return to the classic Burgundian vintages. They are already tasting well now, and will probably shut down at some point, but they will be wine for early drinking, while patiently waiting for the 2020s to come around. His whites were heavily affected by the frost, in quantity terms at least. 

In 2021, a sorting table helped to only send the best berries to the vats. It was the only expensive investment of the year. No new oak was used at all, because the volumes were too tiny. Instead, the best barriques (la meilleure futaille, in Jean-Baptiste words) were used for a short élevage (ageing). 

While maturation in oak lasted about 18 months for the 2019 and 2020 vintage, the 2021 was bottled between October and November 2022. This is about just 8~10 months in wood. Jean-Baptiste took this decision to preserve freshness, energy and balance. And only the Savigny Les Peuillets and the Savigny village saw some whole cluster at fermentation time. That terroir of fine sand is warming rapidly, producing strong grapes and the roundness of the wine have allowed such extravagance.

As the Burgundy 2021 campaign is starting, the cellars at Boudier are full of the generous 2022 harvest and Jean-Baptiste is happy. However, his 2021s are very good, despite all the odds; you should get some. Let’s start here!

Thibaut Mathieu
Managing Director Asia, January 2023