ELECTED DISCOVERY OF THE YEAR 2022 BY LA REVUE DES VINS DE FRANCE
Taking over DOMAINE DU BOUCHOT in 2018, the young winemaker, Antoine Gouffier, and his wife have brought great energy and modern views to the traditional region of Pouilly-Fumé.
On the right bank of the Loire Valley they champion Sauvignon Blanc in their wines. The domaine has been biodynamically certified since 2009, allowing Antoine to step into a vineyard that shares his beliefs already. Being the first domaine to be certified Organic in the Pouilly-Fumé appellation, Antoine continued to push biodiversity and the correlation to the Lunar calendar to achieve Biodynamic certification soon after he took over.
With the help of his mentor and expert in biodynamics, Pascal Kerbiquet, he continues to champion the thriving nature in his vineyards. The vines are all planted to Sauvignon Blanc and sit on the south-west slope of the hill next to the village of Saint Andelain. Here the soils consist of clay and limestone from the Kimmeridgian era, perfect to bring the light freshness to Sauvignon. His vinification method includes minimal intervention, with a focus on clarity of the terroir, producing wines of vibrant elegance.
There are 3 key wines of DOMAINE DU BOUCHOT, with all the grapes spread across nearly 15 hectares around Pouilly-Fumé. Parcels of Caillottes and Terres Blanches are the key two plots, with the third wine MCMLV also being from the Terres Blanches plot but only picked from the old vines bringing more depth to the bottle.
The Pouilly-Fumé appellation dates all the way back to 1937, when it was first established as "Blanc Fumé de Pouilly". At the same time, the village's wines made with Chasselas grapes were given the Pouilly-sur-Loire title. The Pouilly-Fumé name is actually a combination of two parts: 'Pouilly' is short for Pouilly-sur-Loire, the village of origin, and 'Fumé' is an affectionate nickname for Sauvignon Blanc. It's no wonder it often gets confused with the Burgundian Pouilly-Fuissé, a Chardonnay-based wine.
The famous Pouilly-Fumé viticultural region covers seven parishes on the right bank of the Loire River - from Mesves-sur-Loire down south to Saint-Martin-sur-Nohain up north. Despite its Burgundian location, it's still a quintessentially 'Loire Valley' delicacy!