Winemaker
Émilie Boudot
Winemaker, Domaine Etienne Sauzet
- Discipline
- Winemaker
Portrait of Émilie Boudot
i. Biography
Puligny-Montrachet sets the working frame for Domaine Étienne Sauzet: White Burgundy built from Chardonnay, with purity, tension, terroir expression and meticulous ageing as the governing standards. In the Côte de Beaune, the Sauzet name is tied closely to Puligny-Montrachet whites and to a style that favors clarity over ornament, elegance over force, and bottle age as part of the wine’s final articulation. Chardonnay remains the sole material under Émilie Boudot and Benoît Riffault at the domaine. The work is continuity rather than rupture: attention to place, vine by vine and plot by plot, carried into wines shaped by balance, minerality, complexity and the capacity for long aging. Puligny-Montrachet whites carry the house association with purity and elegance; the greatest bottlings extend the same register with more depth.
The Path
Precision and restraint were already part of the house grammar when Émilie Boudot joined the team and began running the domaine with Benoît Riffault of Domaine Étienne Sauzet (since 2000). The measure remains White Burgundy that can express origin clearly while retaining finesse. Great White Burgundy, in this model, is built before service and before cellar work has finished its part. Domaine Étienne Sauzet’s exclusive focus on Chardonnay keeps the field narrow and demanding: vineyard and cellar decisions are directed toward transparency, freshness, texture and longevity.
Where They Are Now
Classic, transparent White Burgundy remains the working brief for the team Boudot joined in 2000 and now runs with Benoît Riffault. The wines are directed toward purity, tension, terroir expression and careful ageing. Terroir expression through Chardonnay sits at the center of the production philosophy, supported by sustainable farming and ageing intended to preserve fruit elegance and minerality. The domaine strongly follows biologic agriculture principles with a tendency toward biodynamism, applied as a practical discipline across its different terroirs. The premise is agricultural before it is stylistic: finesse depends on the health of the vine, the balance of the soil and the patience given to each parcel. Healthy vine material is treated as the foundation of great wine for Boudot and Riffault, so each vine stock and plot receives close attention, and yields are limited. That work sets the structure before the wines enter the cellar. Ageing on fine lees adds complexity within a measured frame, aligning with bottles characterized by terroir, complexity, balance and capacity for long aging. The style avoids excess; it is built on line, resonance and persistence.
Career - Joined the team, Domaine Étienne Sauzet, Puligny-Montrachet, Burgundy, France (2000–present) - Runs the domaine with Benoît Riffault, Domaine Étienne Sauzet, Puligny-Montrachet, Burgundy, France
Signature
Puligny-Montrachet whites under the Sauzet signature and Montrachet define the visible range of the domaine’s work. The Puligny-Montrachet whites give the house its essential expression; Montrachet marks one of the range’s most visible summits. In both, Chardonnay is shaped toward purity, elegance and terroir expression.
Recognition
Montrachet, Bâtard-Montrachet and Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Crus are the most visible points of recognition in the range directed by Boudot and Riffault. Read alongside the domaine’s Puligny-Montrachet whites, they show the Sauzet signature in trade terms: purity, elegance, terroir, complexity, balance and long-aging capacity.
FAQ What is Émilie Boudot known for? White Burgundy from Puligny-Montrachet, especially Chardonnay-based wines. What is Émilie Boudot's craft? Under the direction of Émilie Boudot and Benoît Riffault, Domaine Étienne Sauzet crafts white Chardonnay wines focused on purity, tension, terroir expression and meticulous ageing. Domaine Étienne Sauzet (Puligny-Montrachet, Burgundy, France).
