2021 Domaine Benoît Chevallier Nuits Saint Georges 1er Cru Les Boudots

WINEMAKER: Benoît Chevallier
REGION: Burgundy, FR
VARIETY: Pinot Noir
VITICULTURE: Organic

Benoit is the 4th generation of Chevallier vignerons in Vosne-Romanée. His father, Maurice – former mayor of Vosne-Romanée, who had owned and tended 4 hectares since 1971. When Maurice retired in 2008, 90% of the family vineyards were rented out, Benoit managed the remaining 10% while simultaneously pursuing a promising career as an IT engineer at a local company. For 10 years tiny quantities came from 3 vineyards. In 2018, Benoit decided the time was ripe to return to Vosne-Romanée to become a full time vigneron and take over the entire Domaine. He recognized the need to be mindful of nature and immediately put his existing portion (10%) of the vineyards into organic conversion. Fortunately, the other 90% of the vines had been rented out to a local vigneron with outstanding experience of organic viticulture. They had been certified organic since 2012 and were in excellent health.

Soil amendments are made with only living matter and compost, and Benoît sprays with compost teas and plant preparations to maintain the soil fauna and preserve the microorganisms necessary for its good health. He practices a soft pruning (Guyot Poussard) to respect the sap flow of the plants. Pruning is adjusted according to the vigor of each vine stock. Massal selection has been used since Maurice’s time running the estate. After hand harvest, grapes are sorted in the vineyard by the pickers in cases. They are 100% destemmed, slowly, to keep the structure of the berries. Vinification begins with long macerations of two to three weeks in cement and wooden vats punctuated by pump overs and intermittent punch downs. Aging is done in oak barrels (mainly Tonnellerie Rousseau, though Montgillard and Chassin are also being introduced). The village wines are aged 12-14 months and the rest for about 18 months in new to three–year-old oak, depending on the cuvée and vintage.