Thomas Bouley said that he harvested the Caillerets on 4 September with a small group, and then the full team began in the other vineyards on the following day, just like in 2015. Yields overall were 45 hl/ha. As usual, malo-lactic fermentations were quick because he adds very little SO2.
Yet again, the wines here prove that they belong in the top division.
2017 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
We start at a high quality level with the Bourgogne. The wine has good depth with strawberry fruit, purity, and minerality. The wine is very easy to approach, typical of many 2017 reds. The vines are near the route nationale and have good drainage, Thomas says. (87-89)
2017 Bourgogne - Hautes Côtes de Beaune
This wine has strawberry fruit that is pure and nervous with good focus and precision, as well more complexity than the previous wine. (88-90)
2017 Volnay
The Volnay is 2/3 from vineyards that are downslope and 1/3 from the Les Blanches lieu-dit that is high up, bordering the Clos des Chênes and Monthélie. The wine shows precise strawberry fruit and is medium-light on the tongue with freshness. It is delicious to drink already. (89-91)
2017 Volnay Clos de la Cave
The Volnay, Clos de la Cave, is from a vineyard by Bouley’s cellar, which is near the top of the village of Volnay. The nose has fresh, mineral strawberry fruit. The mouth is fresh with good energy, nervosity, and focus. It is a sculpted wine with good structure. 50% whole clusters here. (89-92)
2017 Volnay vieilles vignes
This wine is from the Pluchots lieu-dit, just below the Carelles-Dessous vineyard; there are four parcels, with the vines ranging from 45 to 70 years of age. The wine shows precision, very good energy, strawberry fruit, some vanilla. It is medium-light but with excellent concentration. (89-91)
2017 Pommard
The Pommard is mainly from the Vaumuriens lieu-dit, above Rugiens. The wine is chiseled with strawberry fruit, good length, and some tannins showing. (91-93)
2017 Beaune 1er Cru Les Reversées
The Beaune-Reversées is round, enveloping, and sensual with red berry fruits that have a sorbet character. The wine is light on the palate with good minerality and penetration. The vines average more than 40 years of age. The vineyard has light soils and gets plenty of sunlight. 50% whole clusters. (90-92)
2017 Volnay 1er Cru Les Caillerets
The vines here are still young (14 years), but the wine shows the greatness of the Caillerets vineyard. The nose is precise and very fine. The mouth is light, pure, intense, long, and precise. The Caillerets finesse and race are clearly present. (92-95)
2017 Volnay 1er Cru Les Carelles
Here the soils are red and there is less of a slope than for the Caillerets. The wine shows red cherry fruit and good freshness with length, intensity, and elegance (92-94)
2017 Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chênes
As good as the Caillerets and Carelles are, they’re no match for the Clos des Chênes. The wine is pure, airy, stony, and light on the palate. There’s length here and excellent freshness and tension to underlie the red berry fruits. (94-96)
2017 Pommard 1er Cru Les Fremiers
This wine shows the purity that runs through Bouley’s wines and excellent concentration — it is almost syrupy. The red berry fruit has stony Fremiers underpinnings along with structure, lightness, minerality, and intensity. The vines here are right by the Rugiens-Bas and Croix Noire vineyards. 50% whole clusters. (93-95)
2017 Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens
As outstanding as the previous wines have been, it’s the Pommard-Rugiens that is the king of the cellar on this visit, and a great Rugiens it is. The nose is mineral, deep, and pure, The mouth is intense, deep, energetic, and nervous with depth, crystallinity, precision, and white soil chalkiness. Thomas says the pH is relatively high here, but the wine nevertheless has excellent freshness. (95-97)
Finally, in white:
2017 Bourgogne-Aligoté
As with almost all producer wines, there isn’t all that much of this to go around, but should you come across it and are an Aligoté lover such as I, don’t miss the chance. This wine is very mineral, pure, and clear with crystallinity, salinity, and a chiseled texture. (89-91)