2022 Domaine du Bouchot Pouilly-Fumé MCMLV.
In this review we discuss Domaine du Bouchot’s Pouilly-Fumé MCMLV 2022. Combining the fresh, mineral, and typical nature of high-end Pouilly-Fumé with a new vision on winemaking in the region, Antoine Gouffier of Domaine du Bouchot is sure to turn the heads of both lovers of old-school Loire Sauvignon Blanc and of natural wine. And as this review will point out, one for sure does not have to part with the old traditions in order to play into new trends, and above all try exciting new styles of winemaking in a region rooted in history!
About the Winery
First things first. In the historical region of Pouilly-Fumé, Antoine Gouffier (born 1985) of Domaine du Bouchot is a relatively new force in the appellation, but who seems (as evidenced by our tasting note) to have flawlessly interwoven the historical traditions in Pouilly-Fumé with a more natural way of winemaking. In 2018, Antoine returned to his birthplace of Saint-Andelain (just north of the town of Pouilly-sur-Loire) and acquired the already-established Domaine du Bouchot. The acquisition took place after the previous owners, Pascal and Rachelle Kerbiquet, chose to retire. With him he brought new bottlings, new labels, and above all a new perspective on winemaking and what the future of the region’s wines could look like.
This new perspective did not come from nothing. After backpacking across the world for over a decade, Antoine became more and more interested into different, more natural ways of viticulture – seeking a more natural balance between the vineyards and the wines than was the standard within the appellation at the time. This new idea was aided by the fact that Domaine du Bouchot’s prior owners already invested heavily into becoming the appellation’s first certified organic winery and having already started with a biodynamic conversion – which resulted in Antoine being able to get biodynamic certification (Demeter) in 2020. His efforts were quickly recognised by the leading French wine magazine La Revue du Vin de France, who named Antoine ‘Discovery of the Year’ in 2022. Ever since then he has been a shining star of the pro-natural wine movement in the relatively old-school and traditional appellation that is Pouilly-Fumé.
About the Region
Pouilly-Fumé is not as broadly known as Sancerre, but produces wines of equal quality. The fact that perhaps the foremost cult producer in the Loire as a whole, being Didier Dagueneau (who farms close to biodynamically), is situated here certainly helps in this regard. The differences between the two regions are subtle, with Pouilly-Fumé being marginally lower in altitude (200-300m compared to Sancerre’s 250-350m) and flatter, often said to result in rounder, slightly less aromatic wines. Pouilly-Fumé furthermore contains a higher proportion of flint (silex) soils than Sancerre – often associated with the characteristic gunflint aromas in the wines (locally called pierre-de-fusil). However, the main difference between the two is the fact that Sancerre lies to the west of the Loire and Pouilly-Fumé to the east – with the style and profile of the wine being more likely to be determined by the type of soil the vineyards are planted on than by the specific appellation.
With regards to the region’s soils, Pouilly-Fumé contains the same main three soil types as Sancerre – being Caillottes, Silex, and Kimmeridgian marls. Caillottes is composed of pure white limestone, commonly associated with lighter, fresher, and more fruit-driven styles of wine, earlier-maturing and relatively linear. Silex on the other hand is composed of flinty soils which retain more heat and are often said to yield rounder, fleshier, and slightly reductive wines (hence the common association of Pouilly-Fumé with gunpowder aromas in the wines), with more stone fruit and floral notes than Caillottes soils. The last common soil type is Kimmeridgian marls. These soils, also found in Chablis, Champagne and in Sancerre (where it especially makes wines of renown in the village of Chavignol), is a mixture of clay and limestone, locally also called Terres Blanches. This soil type is said to yield the most structured, age-worthy wines, with great acidities and concentration, and a perfect interwoven mixture of the freshness of limestone and the power of clay. Wines from these soils often need a bit of age to open up, but commonly represent the most prestigious wines of the region. It is no surprise that the majority of Domaine du Bouchot’s vineyards are found on these Kimmeridgian marls.
About the Wine
As noted before, the winemaking focusses on a natural approach, emphasising a natural balance in both the vineyard and the wine and letting the quality of the fruit speak for itself. The grapes for Domaine du Bouchot’s wines are harvested by hand and fermented in stainless steel, after which they see a mixture of aging in stainless steel, used oak, amphora and concrete, depending on the cuvée. Sulphur is kept to a minimum and only added during the bottling process, and the wines are only very lightly filtered as to fully encompass the philosophy of minimal intervention resulting in maximum terroir expression.
For the MCMLV bottling (Antoine’s top cuvée – named after the original planting year of 1955 of the vineyards used, being Les Coûtes en Les Sapins), half of the wine was aged in stainless steel for freshness and primary fruit, and half was aged in old, large oak barrels for texture and gentle oxygenation. Roughly two days of skin contact was used to add further complexity, structure, and a subtle tannic grip to the wine. Important to note is that with this length of skin contact the wine is not an orange wine (which would typically see much longer periods of skin contact), but rather a white wine with a bit more structure, depth, and grip – as evidenced by our tasting note below.
Now let’s discover this wine together. In the glass a subtle copper tinge, hinting at its short period of skin contact. The wine needs some air to open up, not as stereotypically perfumed as other Sauvignon Blancs from the Centre Loire. Slight tannic grip and good structure. Very subtle nettle note, hinting at Sauvignon Blanc’s typicity, and further showing pure and fresh fruit notes of lemon, fresh pear, grapefruit, and ripe yellow apple. Subtle notes of the skin contact are also present, with nectarine, white pepper, and chamomile emerging from the glass. Earthiness, wet stone, and bread dough add further complexity to the wine. Refreshingly high acidity to balance the richness due to the skin contact and old oak used. Impressively long finish and purity of fruit. Full-bodied. Notable is that the overt leafy, green paprika note commonly associated with Sauvignon Blanc is not present – perhaps due to the warmer vintage of 2022, or a possible house style of picking the grapes a bit riper.
Not your typical Pouilly-Fumé, but greatly representative of the marl soils it hails from – sharing more likeliness to high-end Chablis than your typical bistro Sancerre. However, the subtle linearity of the wine and the nettle note give away its true origin. Gastronomic. Structured and circular, with the roundness and minerality beautifully balanced and interwoven. A different perspective on Pouilly-Fumé, and certainly one to get to know.
We reward this wine with a 92-point DWA score. Drink 2025-2029.
This review is written by our own Martin Bronkhorst. Domaine du Bouchot is sold in the Netherlands by Best of Wines, whom we would like to thank for providing us with this wonderful Pouilly-Fumé.
Price: €39,95
Taste date: January 2024
Score: 92/100 DWA Score
Website: Domaine du Bouchot