Product Information:
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
Antoine Gouffier's dedication and respect for terroir is on full display in his Sauvignon Blancs from Pouilly-Fumé. His wines display a fruity, floral, and intense minerality. As a young vigneron at the helm of Domaine du Bouchot, his wines express a vibrant, elegant, balanced tension. Antoine is truly raising the bar in this appellation.
Maker:
In 2019, Antoine Gouffier purchased Domaine du Bouchot, from Rachel and Pascal Kerbiquet who had been running it as a family estate since 1987. As a Loire native himself, Antoine has a profound understanding and connection to the land, which lead him to farm the land organically. In 2009 Domaine du Bouchot was the first in the Pouilly-Fumé appellation to become certified organic, and fittingly Antoine was the one to finalised the biodynamic certification.
Bouchot holds 10-hectares, which is mainly planted to Sauvignon Blanc, with a few vines of Chasselas, on the southwest side of the hill from the village of Saint-Andelain. The wines reflect the unmistakable character of each of the vineyards: the Kimmeridgian marl soil is of white clay, limestone, and fossilised oysters from ancient seabeds, and the Portlandian terroir (limestone with layered, small rocks) lend a flinty, mineral quality to the wines - the differentiating characteristics lending to a unique purity and clarity. Domaine du Bouchots wines are excellent representations of a sometimes-overlooked appellation and are vibrant, elegant, and balanced.
Philosophy:
Antoine believes in minimal intervention in his winemaking, using indigenous yeast and stainless steel for fermentation. He is also experimenting with amphorae. The wines are vinified without sulfur. The Domaine produces three different Pouilly-Fumé: Cuvée Terres Blanches from the Kimmeridgian marl soils, Cuvée Les Caillotes from Portlandian soils, and Cuvée 1955 from the oldest vines on the estate.
All fruit is handpicked, the yeasts are indigenous and the wine is made with as little pumping as possible. Aged on its fine lees in temperature-controlled stainless-steel tanks, the wine is bottled in the spring after a very light filtration.
Nose - Lemon Juice, Herbs, Stony Minerals
A lovely balance of lemon juice and zest and dry, stony minerals. Light notes of herbs add another dimension to the mix.
Palate - Medium, Pear, Tension
This mid-weight style is clearly balanced with masses of refreshment. Partial malo has lent additional softness to the palate.
Finish - Classy, White Pepper, Refreshing
Plenty of minerality and acidity, together forming a long, classy finish.
The 2021 Terres Blanches is round and silky with a fine chalky texture that provides a fine, appetizing texture on the finish. It is satisfying with a delightful thread of acidity that keeps it together and your mouth watering. There's an appealing elderflower character with a subtle creamy background, likely due to malo and time on lees, but there's plenty of precision here. The finish is like a triangle - ting! - Rebecca Gibb MW, Vinous, 92 points.
Apple and fresh hay on the nose. Medium body with more citrusy and stony flavors and a touch of dry-mineral grip at the end. A tidy white with lots of mineral influence that gives a harder feel to it this year. From biodynamically grown grapes with Demeter certification. Unfiltered. Drink now. - James Suckling
The Finer Details
Style - White Wine
Varietal - Sauvignon Blanc
Country - France
Region - Loire Valley
Vintage - 2021
Bottle Size - 750ml
ABV - 12.5%
