Flavour of the Year 2019 – Maison Marthe Henry Boillot

I find it very gratifying to promote new, talented people and estates; it’s one of the primary functions of the Winehog.

To explain this initiative a bit further, while I find the work of young vignerons like Charles Lachaux truly admirable, these top producers already have the full attention of the wine world and, furthermore, plenty of great vineyards with which to express themselves.

The young, small negociants and estates do not, however, necessarily have the same exposure or access to noble terroirs, although their efforts are at least as admirable and just as enjoyable.

The Winehog “Flavour of the Year” award is for these young and/or new talents in Burgundy.

Marthe Henry Boillot – true vins d’émotion

The 2019 “Flavour of the Year” award goes to Maison Marthe Henry Boillot for wines from the 2017 vintage and for the fine promise shown by both the 2018 and 2019 vintages.

The reason for the honour is that Marthe Henry Boillot produces very pure, energetic wines with magnificent transparency and strong expressions of terroir.

A wine like Bourgogne Blanc Montatine has remarkable energy and zen-like balance with an extraordinary mineral depth and joie de vivre that even many grands crus in Burgundy miss: truly a vin d’émotion.

Marthe Henry Boillot is a new producer, but the 2017s are now in bottle fullfilling the promise I saw when I tasted the wines in 2018, and both the 2018s and the 2019s live up to this fine promise.

More info on Marthe Henry Boillot is found here

Previous and future winners

This is a relatively new award, and has only one previous winner: Domaine Moron-Garcia.

But in past years, estates like Nicolas Faure and Domaine Thomas Collardot in Puligny-Montrachet would have been favourites for “Flavour of the Year.”

Maison de Joncs with Jae Chu would also have been a strong candidate, but she is now at Château Grillet in the Rhone. I still hope to see Jae again on Burgundian turf in the years to come.

Tasting Notes for this producer

Related articles

• Terroir in focus – Gevrey-Chambertin Combe de Lavaut
  Many relatively unknown terroirs deserve a cheer and a nod for the potential qualities we find when it is brought forward by the right hedonistic friend. One such friend is Jean-Luc Burguet, who now produces a wine from the edge of the Combe de Lavaut … just at the southern end of Lavaut Saint Jacques. Domaine Jean-Luc ...
• Visit to Domaine Jean-Marc Millot – Tasting the 2024s from Cask
  Alix Millot have made some good 2024s … good for the vintage and for the appellation. As always with the 2024s they are not amongst the most powerful wines in history, but when well made – like the Millot wines – they can produce quite some hedonistic happiness. There are limits … and follow the emotional ...
• Get in the Hospices de Beaune bidding mood
  Time to get in Auction mood ! …here are some impressions!!
• Hospices de Beaune 2025 – Are You Ready for the Élevage!!
  The Hospices de Beaune auction is NOW – today – November 16th 2025. This is a charity auction for a good cause, so outside normal investments and evaluation criteria. And remember that generosity is a good thing when making your bid. Winehog and the Hospice wines Readers of the Winehog will know that I primarily recommend the Hospice ...
• Winehog treat #3 … the Tout simple
  Regardless of fortune, fame or occasional financial despair… I like to get a good wine at an affordable and attractive price. Sometimes this is 25 EUR, other times it’s 100 EUR … and on rare occasion I feel tempted to push further … but to be honest, 200 EUR should involve a full-blown vin d`émotion experience ...