Issue link: http://digital.copcomm.com/i/26650
After a number of years of traveling in America for education and business, Boisset settled in California. “A lot of people in Burgundy never got it. They always wondered, ‘Why California—what’s there?’” Boisset says. “Then I would bring back a bottle of DeLoach, and they said, ‘Huh?’” Boisset Family Estates acquired DeLoach Vineyards in late 2003; Jean-Charles steadily grew the family’s French and American portfolios over the years, culmi- nating in the recent purchase of Raymond Vineyards in 2010. Other brands either owned or imported include Lyeth Estate, Gabriel Meffre, Antonin Rodet, Ropiteau, Bouchard Aîné & Fils, J. Moreau & Fils, Mommessin, Beni di Batasiolo, Louis Bouillot, French Rabbit, Jean- Claude Boisset and Domaine de la Vougeraie. Boisset sells 6.4 million cases worldwide. “As a company, we have a Franco-American focus,” Boisset explains. “Burgundy, Beaujolais, Rhône; Sonoma, Napa.” In addition to the acquired labels, Boisset has launched his exclusive wine, JCB, for which Jean- Charles considers himself the “artistic director.” Not focused on terroir, the wine is blended to match a style, an attitude. Boisset is also devoted to lessening the environmental impact of his companies. “There are three parts,” he explains. “The fi rst part of the strategy was focusing on organic and biodynamic—converting over a thousand acres to sustainable farming. The second was sustain- ability within the winery—preservation, water towers, recycling. The third was the packaging.” Crunching numbers, Boisset learned that 70% of a wine’s cost goes to packaging: bottles, corks, foil, transportation, taxes, margins. The company has since experimented with Tetra Pak cartons, PET bottles and aluminum, with varying results. Now, Boisset is focusing on a “barrel to barrel” initia- tive that utilizes “eco bags” that fi t into miniature wine barrels outfi tted with spigots for serving. “The wine is never corked, never oxidized, never bad. The carbon footprint of a case of wine is 6,850 grams; this is 68 grams,” Boisset explains. “We have over 900 restaurants across the nation on board; we’re going to get another 1,800 in the next three months that are wait-listed. We couldn’t manufacture the mini-barrels fast enough.” With business reaching 700,000 cases of wine sold in the United States, Boisset Family Estates isn’t merely strolling to the bank: Boisset’s recent Fight Against Hunger campaign has resulted in donations to food banks across the country of more than 1.2 million meals. In 2011, it aspires to donate at least three million meals. In Sonoma, Jean-Charles met and married a local girl. His wife, Gina Gallo, who also is in the wine business, is expecting the sixth-generation Boissets— twins—in June. One would have to say Jean-Charles’s move to California has been extremely fruitful. Emily Steers contributed to this article. The New Label: JCB by Jean-Charles Boisset Creamy, toasty and smooth, the JCB 2009 Chardonnay No. 81, Sonoma County ($25) shows clean, fresh vanilla notes and soft, palatable fruit. Balanced, lush and ripe, it deliv- ers a long and stylish fi nish. The JCB 2008 Chardonnay No. 76, Mendocino Ridge ($30) is bright and clean with racy acidity and silky texture ripe and structured with complexity and depth. The JCB 2008 Pinot Noir No. 22, Mendocino Ridge ($100), is bright and racy with notes of earth, lovely spice and full-on cherry. The silky smooth JCB 2007 Pinot Noir No. 7, Sonoma Coast ($75) has elegance galore, with racy acidity and precise, tangy cherry fruit. The juicy and—not surprisingly—quite Burgundian graceful style of these wines refl ects not only Jean-Charles Boisset’s European roots but his commitment to California. march 201 1 / the tasting panel / 7 PHOTO: ALLISON LEVINE