The 2010 Beaune Les Epenots possesses gorgeous energy and vibrancy in its focused expression of red fruit. Floral notes add an element of brightness on the taut, energetic finish. I especially like the focus and clarity here, not to mention that the tannins are impeccably polished. This parcel of 66- year-old vines sits just next to the 1er Cru part of Epenots. Anticipated maturity: 2015-2025. The 2010 vintage was not especially kind to Louis Boillot. The December 2009 frost wiped out the vineyard Boillot used for his Bourgogne, so naturally that wine was not made. The Fixin yields were tiny (just one barrel) and that wine was blended into the Cote de Nuits Villages. Overall yields were down 40-50%, although some parcels were hit even harder. The Caillerets, Croix Noires and Cherbaudes were down 50% and the Pommard was down 60%. The harvest started on September 22 and lasted about a week. The wines were aged in 25-30% new oak. Malos were very slow and were not finished until September 2011, quite late even by standards of the year. On a much more positive note, the wines themselves are fabulous and deserve serious attention. Unfortunately, the 2010 Pommard Les Croix Noires and Chambolle-Musigny Beaux Bruns were too reduced to evaluate, so I will have to wait for another opportunity to taste those wines. I will report on the 2009s in the April issue.Importer: Rosenthal Wine Merchant, Pine Plains, NY; tel. (800) 910-1990

Boillot’s 2005 Beaune Les Epenotes (from 60-year-old vines in the lower, non Premier Cru-rated portion of this site) is all about dark fruits, bitter-sweet flowers and chalky, stony minerality. Black cherry, beet root and walnut oil inform the nose and mouth, the fruits taking a jellied turn on the palate and mingling with an abundance of fine tannin, then taking a low-toned, mineral turn in the finish. The final blend will reflect only 25% new barrel, which is good, because when one tastes a portion from new oak it’s very obvious. Also recommended: 2005 Fixin (unknown; 85-87). Having moved from Volnay to a newly-expanded facility he shares with his wife, Ghislaine Barthod, Louis Boillot fields a large and geographically diverse range of generally impressive, pure-fruited Pinots. (In rating them, I have left some leeway to allow for my previous unfamiliarity with Louis Boillot’s wines.)Importer: Rosenthal Wine Merchant, Pine Plains, NY; tel. (800) 910-1990.