Domaine Jean-Marc et Thomas Bouley Volnay Vielles Vignes 2016

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

We have a range of Bouley’s 2015 & 2016 wines available including:

2015

2015 Volnay (limited) $117ea, $112ea in any 3+, $107ea in any 6+

2015 Pommard (limited) $125ea, $120ea in any 3+, $115ea in any 6+

2015 Volnay Vieilles Vignes (limited) $140ea, $135ea in any 3+, $130ea in any 6+

2015 Volnay 1er Cru Les Carelles (low/limited) $210ea, $200ea in any 3+, $190ea in any 6+

2015 Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chenes (limited) $250ea, $240ea in any 3+, $230ea in any 6+

2015 Pommard 1er Cru Fremiers (low/limited) $250ea, $240ea in any 3+, $230ea in any 6+

2015 Pommard 1er Cru Rugiens (low/limited) $310ea, $300ea in any 3+, $290ea in any 6+

2016

2016 Pommard (limited) $127ea, $122ea in any 3+, $117ea in any 6+

2016 Volnay Vieilles Vignes (limited) $144ea, $139ea in any 3+, $134ea in any 6+ THIS WINE

2016 Volnay 1er Cru Les Carelles (low/limited) $230ea, $220ea in any 3+, $210ea in any 6+

2016 Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chenes (limited) $250ea, $240ea in any 3+, $230ea in any 6+

2016 Pommard 1er Cru Rugiens (low/limited) $315ea, $305ea in any 3+, $295ea in any 6+

Request a Wines!

About the Wine

Surface area for this appellation : 78.46 ares.

Grape Variety : Pinot noir.

Average age of the vines : 50 years old.

Situation : 4 plots. Bottom of the slope. South/east.

Soil / Underground : Chalky-Clay. Deep soil.

Cultivation : Ploughed. No weedkillers used.  No chemical fertilizers used.

Harvest : Manual + Sorting table.

Vinification : Open vats. About 3 weeks.

Ageing : 20 months in oak barrels. 30 % new oak.

Bottling : At our Domain.

About Domaine Jean-Marc et Thomas Bouley

From father to son through numerous generations, the Bouley family cultivates vineyards in Volnay. In the last century, from 1919, François Bouley manages the family estate. Christian will succeed him in 1948. Jean-Marc creates his own Domain in 1974, to which his father’s vineyards are added in 1984.

In 2002, Thomas joins the Domain and takes the management in 2012. His main objective is to join the great Domains in Volnay and he’s doing all the right things!

Today the Domaine has near 9Ha across 29 plots in Volnay, Pommard and Beaune.

To produce exceptional wines, it is important to have beautiful grapes. To express the mineral from the soil and the underground, a good microbial life is essential.

In this respect, we use neither weedkillers nor chemical fertilizers. All our vines are ploughed.

The manual work of pruning, de-budding and trellising have evolved to keep only 6 to 8 bunches of grapes per plant and evenly spaced.

The harvest is manual. The grapes are then sorted at the winery on a vibrating table. The fermentation takes between 2 and 3 weeks. Diverse decisions are made to adapt to the vintage and to each appellation.
Ageing is done entirely in oak barrels and will take from 15 to 20 months.

The 2016 Vintage

From the Domaine:

A pleasant surprise

The people of the Bourgogne wine region like a story with a happy ending. The wines of the 2016 vintage have granted this wish, exhibiting a quality that was quite unexpected given the difficult start to the year. Climate events in the spring took a severe toll on the harvest, which will no doubt be among the smallest of the past two decades. Fortunately, this has not stopped producers making wines that will fully live up to the expectations of lovers of Bourgogne. The night of 26-27 April 2016 will remain etched in the memory of all those who live in the Bourgogne region. It brought an historic late frost, when the first leaves had already emerged. While some areas are used to this kind of phenomenon, its territorial spread was exceptional. A few days beforehand, a violent hail storm struck the south of the wine region. And on 27 May, a further episode of hail swept the Mâconnais and the north of Bourgogne. A significant proportion of the future harvest was at risk. While everyone strived to preserve those bunches that had been spared and nurture the vines, no one could imagine how this vintage might end up.

On the summer solstice of 21 June, things turned radically around. After a particularly cold and wet spring, sun and warmth now took over. This sudden change allowed the vines to recover some strength. They made up for the lateness of the start of the growth cycle. After an excess of water, some places were now experiencing drought, fortunately eased by some welcome rain in September, which allowed the fruit to ripen in very good conditions. This continued until the end of October, giving each plot the opportunity to be picked at the ideal moment. The harvests began on 20 September and stretched over one month.

In the end, a vintage of quality.

The harvested grapes were in tip-top condition, ripe and delicious. Another pleasant surprise was that the vines had made the most of the summer to send out new growth, this abundant vegetation offering good prospects for the 2017 vintage. The region’s vineyards nonetheless presented two contrasting sides: Either very little or no harvest on the plots hit by hail or frost; or nice yields in those sectors that were spared. In the course of vinification, the qualitative potential was soon confirmed, with lovely balance, which will give the wines elegance, finesse and structure, for both reds and whites. This constitutes the unexpected signature of this vintage. In 2016, more than ever, each winemaker has left their own mark on their wines, which reflects the unfolding of this unique vintage.

The red wines are a deep yet dazzling red, the colors are surprisingly intense, revealing what the still-shy bouquet does not yet suggest: These are going to be wines that give pleasure. In the mouth they are fresh and soft, confirming this first impression, and underscored by nice breadth. It will take a few more months before we can discover the full personality of these wines.

About Volnay

Volnay in the Côte du Beaune is dominated by Pinot Noir plantings. Historically both it and neighbouring village Pommard were considered to produce bold, often tannic reds. A signature of their terroir they said.

Yet today we are seeing a softening of the wines, more plush and pliant tannins. This goes to my point that terroir includes the hand of the maker.

Bouley’s wines fit into this mould.

Overview Côte et Hautes Côtes de Beaune

The Regions of Burgundy

The best bit of Burgundy is a thin strip running from North to South around 50km in length, to the South East of Paris

It’s split into three main regions, within each of these regions there are villages which have specific single vineyards planted in them to the varieties red varieties: Pinot Noir and Gamay, and the white varieties: Chardonnay and Aligoté, a lesser variety that produces some fun wines at more affordable prices.

The three main regions in the strip South of Dijon are:

1. Côte D’Or – meaning the Golden Slope, derived from it’s original name, Côte d’Orient, East Slope, within which rest:
   1. Côte-de-Nuits – South of the city of Dijon and North of the town of Beaune famous for it’s Pinot Noir. The best known villages are: Gevrey-Chambertin, Morey-St-Denis, Chambolle-Musigny, Nuits-St-Georges and Vosne-Romanée. 5% of Burgundy production including Chablis.
   2. Côte-du-Beaune – The area around and South of Beaune famous for Chardonnay including the 5 Grand Cru vineyards and many very good Pinot producing vineyards. The best known villages are: Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, Mersault, Volnay, Pommard and Saint Aubin. 10% of production including Chablis.
2. Côte-Chalonaise – Mixing more affordable Chardonnay and Pinot that can be of excellent quality. The villages of Rully, Mercurey and Givry producing their best wines.
3. Mâconnaise – The least regarded of the main regions, still capable of producing some very good wines. Becoming a shining light for value with the ever increasing prices of Burgundy.

In addition to these, the two regions of Beaujolais, mostly producing Gamay, (at the South end of the Dijon Strip) and Chablis, mostly producing Chardonnay (between the southern part of Champagne and Dijon) are part of the Bourgogne wine region.