Domaine Pierrick Bouley

Volnay's new approach to great talent Pierrick Bouley embodies the sixth generation at the head of the estate until now called Domaine R & P BOULEY. He joined the farm full-time in 2009 and succeeded his parents from the 2014 vintage. Now in charge of all the work in the vineyard and cellar, the estate is renamed Pierrick Bouley. It benefits from a majority of old vines (only a dozen plots are less than 30 years old, the average being about fifty years old) spread over 9ha and 41 plots, mainly in Volnay.
Since his arrival, Pierrick has strongly rethought the approach to the vine and the cellar by drawing inspiration from biodynamic techniques. Today the estate is in conversion to organic farming, the first vintage labeled organic planned for 2023! Cultural practices The least possible interventions to faithfully express each terroir: limitation of tractor passage in the vineyards to avoid soil compaction. The objective: living soils, little packed, draining water better, without asphyxiation. Great attention is paid to the pruning method, Pierrick has abandoned the classic Guyot pruning (wounds being sources of diseases including esca) to rehabilitate a very old technique called "Guyot Poussard", which promotes a homogeneous flow of sap and well distributed throughout the vine. The soils are of course worked: no weeding and Pierrick avoids turning the soil too often (usually 2 or 3 ploughs are enough during the season) without hesitating to let the grass grow naturally. Since 2020, the vine is trellised in arches (by hand!), so the branches are not cut at all. This gives vines with a height ranging between 1m50 to 1m70, photosynthesis is maximized for concentrated grapes and a very good sugar / acid balance at maturity. No insecticides, weed killers and anti-rots are applied. Only contact products against late blight and powdery mildew. Vinification & Ageing Pierrick loves elegant wines, fine and fresh but relatively powerful and long in the mouth. The harvest is sorted, destemmed and not trodden. Fermentations take place naturally without enzymes or yeasts. The vatting lasts from 10 to 20 days with daily pumping over and one or two punching downs maximum. The wines are vinified without SO2, aged for 12 months in oak barrels (0 to 30% new barrels depending on the appellation) and then filtered lightly. Pierrick is transparent about sulfur management, striving never to exceed 20mg/L of free SO2 and 50mg/L of total SO2. Critics' reviews Hope of the Year 2018 by Bourgogne Today Main wines In White: Bourgogne Aligoté Saint Romain En Poillange Chassagne-Montrachet 1st cru "Abbaye de Morgeot" (trade) In Red: Bourgogne Passetoutgrain (including a sulphur-free version added) Burgundy Côte d'Or Pinot Noir Monthélie aux Fournereaux Monthélie 1er cru Les Clous Volnay Pommard Aloxe Corton Beaune 1er Cru Le Clos du Bas des Teurons Volnay 1er cru Robardelle Volnay 1er cru Les Grands Champs Monopole Volnay 1er cru Ronceret Volnay 1er cru Santenots Volnay 1er cru Champans Volnay 1er cru Clos des Chênes