Wood smoke, bark, mushrooms, forest floor, and roasted meats mingle in the nose of Boillot's 2008 Volnay Les Brouillards, to which are added on the palate cassis and beet root. Richly-flavored and quite plush, this rather somber wine reminds me of the dark side of 2005. A long if low-key finish caps a performance that should be worth revisiting over at least the next half dozen years. Pierre Boillot - Lucien's grandson, for details on whose history, properties, and connection with other Boillots, see issues and 186 and 170 - noted that his Cote de Beaune fruit required more rigorous sorting in 2008 than did that from the Cote de Nuits, and the former resulted in several wines of relatively aggressive astringency. I tasted his 2008s prior to their March and April bottlings, and (except where noted) assembled from tank. (Unfortunately, shortage of time kept me from tasting Boillot's 2007s.)Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524

While Boillot's generic Volnay – from a single large parcel toward Pommard – was not notably generous, his 2006 Volnay Les Brouillards (which I last had chance to taste assembled from tank) was highly distinctive and satisfying. Scents of ripe though tart blackberry tinged with citrus zest and brown spices migrate onto a sleek, refined palate that nicely balances tannic structure and refreshment. This finishes with persistent bittersweet and with subtle invigoration from berry skin, citrus zest, and a ferrous, tactile sense of Pommard-like minerality. It should be well suited to enjoyment over the next 3-5 years. Pierre Boillot (grandson of Lucien) vinified and marketed together until 2003 with his slightly older brother Louis (who now shares facilities with his wife Ghislaine Barthod, and most of the same appellations as Pierre, and on whose outstanding wines I reported in issue 170 and again in this issue). They then separated their shares of inheritance, which include equally prime acreage in both Cotes, thanks to Lucien having long ago left his family's Volnay estate (now Domaine Henri Boillot) to stake his own claim in Gevrey. My first visit to taste here convinced me that this address and Pierre Boillot's talent should be known to all Burgundy lovers. Pierre Boillot lays great store by lees enrichment, never bottling before the second spring, and then without filtration.Importer: Kermit Lynch Wine Merchant, Berkeley, CA; tel. (510) 524-1524