Tasted in Volnay with Pierrick Bouley, 25 October 2018.
Domaine Pierrick Bouley
5, Place de l’Eglise
21190 Volnay
Tel: +33 3 80 21 61 69
http://pascalbouley.com
As per my last report from here, wine sold in France retains the old domaine name – Réyane & Pascal Bouley – but the bottles that are exported are now with Pierrick’s name.
Pierrick on 2018:
“A humid spring, I always needed to treat at the right moment because there was a strong danger from mildew. Lots of rain to start but then very dry at the end of the year. Almost 30mm at end of august which was really needed due to the dryness. Two small parcels were picked the 20 August but they are always very early parcels – it sounds early but they had grown over a degree in a couple of days. I made just a little more in 2018 than in 2017 – 45 hl/ha, in 2018 I was allowed to make 55 hl/ha – so I’m very happy with that – very happy!”
Pierrick on 2017:
“42 hl/ha – the same as in 2009. An early start in the vines 28 August, then back on 2nd. The first vintage where I used no SO2 was used for all the wines during elevage, and I’m very happy with them – fruit, elegance, I think that they will be great young too. Another easy triage of good grapes. 100% destemmed, one week at 8 degrees so I can concentrate on the rest of the harvest, 2-3 – maximum – pigeages which depends on the cuvée, no chaptalisation.”
The wines…
Most of the wines showing great colour and concentration – just a couple starting a little meagre but then filling-out admirably in the middle. A super selection of 2017s – well done!
The wines were racked during the 2018 harvest. Just a small amount of new oak here, less than 20%, the rest up to 5 years old. “They already taste good so I will probably start bottling soon, without filtration – it can be as late as the following spring for bottling, it really depends on the vintage.”
Also from the bottom of the Volnay commune – Lamboits, still on the ‘right side’ of the road. There was frost in 2017.
Quite good colour. Round ripe red fruit. Full, round, concentrated, serious, a touch of tannin, a little finishing bitters and a long mouth-mouth-watering finish. Bravo Bourgogne!
2017 Monthelie Aux Fournereaux
Only one barrel in 2016 – in 2017 there were 6!
Hmm more open, more expressive – a very pretty nose. More line, freshness, a little base, a drag of texture from the tannin, delicious, delicate but no lack of material. Top villages. Finishing with a proper structure and just a hint of bitters this time. Excellent!
In 2017 about 10 different parcels assembled.
Wide, fine, slightly vibrant fruit. Silky, direct, another step up, depth, supple fine texture. A great villages – this is turning onto some tasting! The bitters are more like saline hints here.
2017 Volnay Pluchots
Three barrels of this old vine parcel, always with small grapes. Have previously done some whole cluster due to lack of volume – not this year – one new barrel from 3.
Open, wide, fresh, spiced nose. A little more depth of flavour, more structure but again it’s about depth and fine texture, a more full wine but beautifully shaped. The extra oak only really adds the spice to the nose. Bigger and perhaps longer lasting, not particularly better – excellent wine.
2017 Pommard
Practically all from Chanlins and Lambots, including the oldest vines of the domaine at 80 years old
Hmm, lovely nose with low tones of slightly darker fruit – lovely clarity. More structural but still no actual grain of tannin, open, lithe, fine flavour. Beautiful wine, aromatic wine.
2017 Aloxe-Corton
NA new domain wine, 0.30 ha in Les Citernes. I had to prune a little harder than was previously done but I liked the small grapes in this first year.
Redder, some high tones – almost floral. Hmm, this is open, fresh, a nice depth, easier wine, less distinct a character to start, but something starts to build in the middle, and grows in the finish – I love the end, it’s a little more anonymous to start.
2017 Beaune 1er Teurons
‘Always less colour in this cuvee.’ A nice vibrant nose, a more roast red type of fruit aroma but with purity. Silky, direct and fresh, with a fine line, growing, complex not a great leap in quality but a subtle growing complexity is evident. Easy, delicious and fine.
2017 Monthelie 1er Les Clous
White soil, lots of limestone – it’s like the Clos des Chênes. Bought in 2007 – ‘It has taken a little while but for the last 5 or-so years I’ve become very happy with this.’ This was a villages until reclassified in about 2006/7.
Fresh, clean but a little tighter, less expressive nose today. There’s good direction here, though it seems a little meagre to start, but like the Teurons grows in both interest and complexity in the middle and finish, actually that’s a great finish.
2017 Volnay 1er Ronceret
Right in the middle of the 1ers at the top of the vineyard. Quite deep soil but with lots of small rocks. Two barrels, neither new
Clearly a little extra colour here. A fuller nose. More depth of aroma too. Lithe, line, sweeping you into the middle where the wine expands – not unlike the last two, but with more drive, energy and ultimately lip-snacking flavour too. Excellent.
2017 Volnay 1er la Grand Champs Monopole
The monopoly of this 0.24 hectare 1er cru section of the Grand Champs vineyard – many others have Grands Champs – but their’s is villages.
A pure but more compact nose after the Roncerets. More weight and a bigger shape to this wine. Slowly melting with flavour, there’s structure, but nothing aggressive. Excellent wine too – but needs more time…
2017 Volnay 1er Robardelles
At the top on the road between Chevrets and Santenots Dessous – usually the most concentrated. It’s an old (70) vine of almost half a hectare
More floral over a touch of reduction. Good shape and volume, layers of flavour, good purity – except – the reduction. But the shape and play of flavours portend another excellent wine. Less directly structural than the Grand Champs.
2017 Volnay 1er Santenots
From Santenots Blanc – ‘When grandfather bought it, it was indeed planted to white but eventually he decided to change’- one barrel last year, two this
Ooh a big, vibrant, wide, super-inviting nose of fresh fruit and flowers. Like a number of other wines starts sleek and narrow, growing, growing, becoming more complex, and always delicious. A modest base of fine, not grainy tannin. Excellent!
From the northern side of the vineyard, close to Carelles Sous la Chapelle. ‘I often though our young champans a little hard, I’ve worked on that’
Another big nose, more weighted, more depth in this case. Fuller, more virile but never changing in the fineness of texture perhaps a touch of oak in the complexity, but this is a more a wine of broad but fresh complexity vs the line of most of the previous wines. Bravo!
2017 Volnay 1er Clos des Chênes
From 2 parcels, a large top to bottom parcel in the middle of the vineyard and a smaller parcel at the southern end of the vineyard next to Monthelie – both above the road.
As before there’s plenty of colour here. A big nose, dark red fruited with a hint of spice. Big, concentrated, never losing freshness, a little extra structure, certainly a more spiced concentration. A big but still expressive wine.
Les Blancs:
2017 St.Romain
A domaine wine
Ooh, that’s nice, fresh, ripe, pineapple style – and very inviting. Line, good drive, plenty of complexity, not the ultimate in purity but a damn good glass – and I’ll take a second. Super finishing salinity.
2017 Chassagne 1er Abbaye de Morgeot
Fermage but needs a négoce licence, two barrels but still in elevage.
The aromas are in progress here. Interesting over the palate though – not ready to taste.