Tasted in Volnay with Pierrick Bouley, 04 October 2022.
Domaine Pierrick Bouley
5, Place de l’Eglise
21190 Volnay
Tel: +33 3 80 21 61 69
pascalbouley.com (not currently online)
More reports for Domaine Pierrick Bouley
Pierrick on 2022:
“2022 was very good. Certainly not the volume of 2017 or 2018 but better than all those vintages since.”
Pierrick on 2021:
“2021 was actually not that bad here – 30 hl/ha – we could say about 10% down. I think the most important part of that was the late pruning of the vines. 10% down but my average is anyway about 35 hl/ha so we stay reasonable. I’m very happy with the quality too – it’s a vintage that’s always tasted well throughout elevage – really pleasant wines from the start…”
The wines…
Wines that were much easier to taste this year than last year. Really a strong line-up in 2021!
All these wines were racked in September and Pierrick was planning to bottle at the end of the year:
70% gamay – 30% pinot is the minimum allowed.
Medium colour. Mdest intensity but warmly inviting fruit nose. Hmm, now that’s lovely, a modest cushion, purity and direction to these flavours. That’s really great PTG!
2021 Bourgogne Côte d’Or Pinot Noir
From the bottom of the Volnay commune – Lamboits, still on the ‘right side’ of the road.
A little more savoury though still with fresh appeal. Supple, a little more fat and visible acidity – a wine that sizzles on the tongue. A vibrant red fruit that’s slightly roast in style. I actually prefer the PTG but this is very good.
2021 Monthelie Aux Fournereaux
Higher tones and more perfume – a super nose. Fresh, structural, nothing hard – this is super. I love the sweeping intensity of this finish – good clarity of fruit too – very good again.
2021 Volnay
Usually about 10 different parcels assembled, 2 of which on the hillside.
A rounder, riper red fruit nose – almost a strawberry to this appealing fruit. Wide, a modest mm or two of cushioning and beautiful mouth-watering flavour. Lovely, delicious wine.
2021 Volnay Pluchots
70-year-old vines in the heart of the village, just below Roncerets – a decent size parcel – they don’t separate this every year.
A little narrower but this aroma has a little more depth and perfume to compensate. Extra volume in the mouth, a slight saline extra too. Chalky finishing. To keep a little longer but also really tasty.
2021 Aloxe-Corton
Modest colour. Fine crushed red fruit – really inviting in style. Broad, with red fruit intensity. Another wine with a modest roast style to the fruit. It’s the shape in the middle that sets it apart from the previous wine – a more solid core but just as saline mouthwatering in the finish as the Pluchots – less chalky at the end though.
2021 Pommard
Normally 5 parcels but two are being replanted – all on the border of Volnay.
Beautiful perfume. Direct but silky, building with extra layers of flavour. Ooh, this is an excellent villages; tasty and mouthwateringly engaging. Love that slowly fading finish!
2021 Monthelie 1er Les Clous
White soil, lots of limestone – ‘it’s like the Clos des Chênes.’ Bought in 2007. This was a villages until reclassified in about 2006/7.
Perfumed but also mineral – here’s a more vertical nose. Extra direct, sweeping, flavour, the acidity more to the fore but not biting – invigorating finishing energy too. I’d drink this younger to enjoy the energy – will it soften or harden with age, that’s the question…
2021 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
A broad panorama of aroma – red fruit with a small warmer style. Really wide, slightly structural style – architectural. Slowly mouth-watering from all the corners of your mouth. The last flavours fine and perfumed. Lovely wine.
2021 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.
More floral, almond blossom. Lots of volume like the Robardelles but here with a couple of mm of extra cushioning – very comfortable! The warm red fruit of many but a finish that is clearly great! – Perfumed and concentrated in this great finish – what an excellent wine.
2021 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.
Perfume again but this time with some nice floral perfume to accompany. Supple, the flavour melts over the palate. A wine to sink into. A finish that’s showing a bit more structure but fine intensity too – some chalky finshing tannin but no grain. Lots to look forward to here.
From Santenots Blanc – ‘When grandfather bought it, it was indeed planted to white but eventually he decided to change’
The aromas are more encompassing, pure, darker red fruit – that’s a beauty. Intense, I’d go as far as to say muscular too – lean, athletic muscle. A wine of obvious power but also of direction the middle and finishing flavours melting over the palate and finishing with a modest lick of grainless tannin – that’s a really super Santenots – bravo!
From the northern side of the vineyard, close to Carelles Sous la Chapelle. ‘I often thought our young Champans a little hard, I’ve worked on that’
A nose of less impact but certainly no less complexity, indeed an endearing, inviting complexity – sugar-coated roses – yes! A little more serious in the mouth – another wine of power but that slowly melts over the palate – here is class too, not just power. Love. Bravo!
2021 Volnay 1er Clos des Chênes
Two parcels one next to Monthelie and two-thirds right from the centre of the main part of CdC.
Hmm, sometimes Clos des Chenes has a bit too much ripenes for me – but this has a classically beautiful nose. Vibrant, energetic, plenty of invigorating acidity but (for me) not too much as it’s offset by a small cushion to this textural fruit. Red berry almost cherry in the finishing flavours, texturally, modestly chalky finishing again. Simply excellent. drink a few glasses of this…