Boillot waited until 29 September to pick the 2021 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Mouchère, producing a mere 18 barrels. Unfurling in the glass with notes of pear, white flowers, hazelnuts, spices and beeswax, it's medium to full-bodied, ample and satiny, with a chiseled, concentrated profile and a long, saline finish. Like many producers, Guillaume Boillot opted to acquire no new barrels in 2021, but he tells me that he acquired much less in 2022 too. The vintage, therefore, may prove to make something of a stylistic inflection point for this estate and maison, which appears to be shifting in the direction of a more chiseled, understated style than the rather nutty, toasty aesthetic for which it has long been known. Of course, the Henri Boillot brand has undergone transformations in the past too: the original Henri Boillot and his son Jean were especially celebrated red wine makers in Volnay; it was Jean's son, Henri, who launched a négociant label in 1995 and became celebrated for his white wines. Today, Guillaume Boillot has expanded the family's domaine holdings and concentrated his négociant operations, and he is now making as much a mark on the style of the Boillot whites as he already has on the style of the family's reds. (WK) 93-94+

Guillaume has pulled out the youngest vines, for rootstock reasons. Most of the old vines fortunately are on 3309C. But badly frosted, below 10 hl/ha. A little more yellow in the colour, a riper fruit, which then comes back to its roots on the palate. Sappy, Guillaume says, while there is a generosity in the mouth which has completely retained its balance. Very persistent.

The 2021 Puligny-Montrachet Clos de la Mouchère 1er Cru, a Boillot monopole, is bright and nicely focused. This is the parcel that was most affected by frost. Production is 18 barrels as opposed to a more typical 75 or so. There’s good depth and intensity, but also a certain rawness that needs time to soften. This is another wine where acidity is especially prominent. (AG)