2009 Savigny Les Beaune Les Vergelesses Blanc

The 2009 Savigny-les-Beaune Les Vergelesses is laced with smoke, ash, slate and a number of other mineral-tinged nuances that add complexity to the fruit. This is texturally very beautiful, especially in the way the wine fleshes out to the finish. Readers looking for an introduction to the 2009 vintage at Boillot won’t be disappointed by this outstading effort. Anticipated maturity: 2012+. Henri Boillot began harvesting on September 3rd, which he thought was critical in maintaining as much freshness as possible. All of the wines were aged in 350-liter light-toast Francois Freres barrels, with no batonnage. These are some of the most viscerally thrilling, textured 2009s readers will come across. Boillot’s ever-growing collection of negociant wines is reviewed separately. I tasted with Boillot at his Volnay facility, and was thus able to only taste a handful of 2010s, all Domaine (rather than Maison) wines. The 2010s I did taste were exciting and hugely promising. Importer: Cynthia Hurley French Wines, West Newton, MA Tel 617-965-4251 www.cynthiahurley.com

(90% finishes with its malo; this and the subsequent '09s are domain wines I sampled at Boillot's cellar at his home) Full yellow color. Yellow fruits and menthol on the nose. Sexy, tactile and round, with an enticing citrus edge. Very dry, intense wine with charm.