06/30/2025
Introducing Génot Boulanger wines from Burgundy to Honolulu.
Despite its long history and relatively large holdings for a family in Burgundy, I was unaware of Génot-Boulanger. Press and wine reviews are scarce. However, the wines are super impressive and any Burghead should learn about Génot- Boulanger.
In 1974 Charles-Henri Génot bought the domaine located in Meursault located next to Dominique Lafon. The family owned domaine is now under the stewardship of 4th generation Guillaume and Aude Lavollée. Guillaume was trying to start a business in Paris when he took off time to work a harvest at his in-law’s domaine. It went so well, his father-in-law asked him to move from Paris to join the family domaine in 2008. Guillaume started taking classes in Beaune while working at the domaine. When I met Guillaume and tasted the wines, I became happy and impressed. Guillaume is well-spoken, detailed, rational, practical and curious. His wines are excellent.
Guilllaume tells a story when he started working for the family and received visitors, the rule was to show 4 whites and 4 reds. Often the visitors would taste the whites and decline tasting the reds. While I personally prefer Génot-Boulanger’s whites maybe because the family’s holdings of vineyards for white are more interesting to me, do not sleep on the reds. They are well made wines that any Burgundy aficionado would love. In general both the whites and reds are delicate, elegant, transparent and pure. Each wine is vinified the same to let the terroir of the vineyard speak (sparse punch downs, barrel for one year and then tank for one year, only 10% new oak). The reds tend to have more fruit with deep, dark, complex cherry, and the whites have more tension amongst fruit, acid and mineral. The beauty of these wines is the liveliness which translates to each successive sip revealing something different. This constant evolution in the glass can make the wines intellectual if you are into that, but they are also just plain old fun and easy to enjoy. New vintages are approachable to drink early, but the wines age incredibly well - a 2013 we tasted was so fresh and lively it could be mistaken for a recent vintage.
This is the first time Génot-Boulanger wines are available in Hawaii, and I would encourage customers to jump on this offering. Burgundy’s increasing pricing is a problem, and while Génot-Boulanger’s wines are not inexpensive, for the quality and pleasure they provide, they are undervalued. We are not at the very early stages of Génot-Boulanger’s rise, but we are still ahead of the curve. As more people discover Génot-Boulanger, prices will increase. It is rare to discover a family owned domaine in Meursault that has 22ha of vineyards in various parts of Burgundy producing top notch wines.
The reviews of each wine below are a combination of personal notes and the winery’s writings.
Jay Kam
President, Vintage Wine Cellar
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