2022 JJ Confuron Nuits St Georges 1er Boudots
Savvy Burgundy buyers understand which wines to buy in a producer’s lineup. It's difficult sometimes to simply judge by the vineyard names, or look at the critics' scores because they’re rating on a curve, so to speak, depending on the quality of the producer’s top wine, everything else falls in below. This makes it hard to differentiate the exceptional wines that fall into a mid-range category, lost in the 89-92 point range. Solid scores for sure, but nothing that gets noticed, unless you have tasted the wine, or better yet gotten a chance to visit the domaine.
Thirty years ago, I paid my first visit to JJ Confuron - and it was one of my first trips to France. There’s a lot I can’t remember…I was a baby, inexperienced at barrel tasting. What I do remember is the Aux Boudots!!! Fast forward to today (too fast), and this is a wine I still buy at every opportunity. It hits above the ratings and is a tremendous value comparatively; what else can you buy at this price point from the range of famous names that produce it?? None comes to mind.
Why is this!? A little geography lesson (aka terroir) helps explain it. When we talk about the village of Nuits St Georges, we often refer to the vineyards on the north side of town as being on the “Vosne Side.” The vineyards on the Vosne-Side have more in common with their Vosne Romanee neighbors than they do with the Nuits St Georges vineyards to the south. Vosne-side wines display more perfume, spice and red fruited aromatics than you would expect from dark fruited, structured Nuits St Georges wines. I’d venture to say that the best examples of Aux Boudots (Meo Camuzet, Leroy, Grivot, JJ Confuron) could easily be mistaken for the silky, spicy qualities that scream Vosne Romanée.
This all can be explained by terroir. Looking at the map (which I captured from a map hanging on my wall), you will notice Aux Boudots immediate neighbor to the north is none other than Vosne Romanée 1er Aux Malconsorts! and next to that, La Tache. Pricey real estate here!
Their holding in Aux Boudots is a relatively small, well situated .3 hectare parcel, which yields approximately 6-8 barrels ~ 200 or so cases. Vine age is well over 50-years. This 1er cru is a wine you don’t hear a lot of people talk about, as there isn’t much produced, but comes with my highest recommendation!
A little history on this domaine, in case you don’t know…Jean Jacques Confuron married Andrée Noëllat, who is thought to have brought the best vineyards from her side of the family. Their daughter Sophie Confuron married Alain Meunier and the two have been managing the domaine since the mid 80’s after the passing of Jean Jacques. However, their son Louis is not being groomed to take over the reins. I’m sure there is a good story there, but at this point, we don’t have the tea.
Immediately upon taking over the domaine, Sophie, as an early adopter, pushed for organic viticulture, ultimately obtaining certification in 1991. With 8.5 hectares spread across several appellations Chambolle, Nuits and Vosne Romanee, including Grand Crus of Romanee St Vivant and Clos Vougeot, it's a manageable sized domaine, allowing the Meunier’s to focus their meticulous attention to every square meter of their holdings, something apparent with every sip!
