GERARD BOULAY

BENCHMARK SANCERRE FROM CHAVIGNOL

What the critics are saying:

“The Boulay style is a world away from the regular refreshing but forgettable norm….…[it] should really be compared with a white burgundy in terms of its rewards and complexity.” Jancis Robinson MW

“A conscientious grower with a growing collection of old vines; Boulay’s wines – while delicious in youth – can be riveting after 7-12 years.”
David Schildknecht, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate

This outstanding producer was recommended to us strongly by no better a judge than Alphonse Mellot!
The steep, south facing, limestone slopes that tower over the tiny hamlet of Chavignol offer one of the world’s more remarkable terroirs. In fact Chavignol (within the Sancerre AOC) does for Sauvignon what the greatest vineyards of Piemonte do for Nebbiolo. They offer us a perfect symbiosis; a perfect match of soil, aspect, climate and grape variety. And like Piemonte, the local foods have evolved to match the wines produced. For example, the goat cheese Crottin de Chavignol, is simply one of the greatest matches for Sancerre (and Chavignol in particular). We urge you to try them together! In Chavignol, the best wines have nought to do with varietal character; the grape simply plays conduit to the mineral freshness of the Kimmeridgian limestone rich soils and the sun trapping, south facing exposition. This terroir creates (in the right hands) whites with that rare combination of riotous pleasure and thought-provoking stimulation. Importantly, Chavignol tempers Sauvignon’s herbaceous tendencies generating thrilling smoky, stone fruit noted whites of superior clarity, texture and crunchy fruit character. This is Sancerre that will please even those who think they don’t like Sauvignon!

Gerard Boulay is one of the benchmarks of this tiny village and the  wines we offer below confirm what we already know to be true: Domaine Gerard Boulay is producing some of the most distinctive and sublime wines in Sancerre. His various bottlings are among the most intensely flavoured and seductive Sancerre you can find.

The man himself is as focused and intense as the wines he crafts. His respect for this prime real estate is evident by his refusal to betray the terroir with lazy viticulture or industrial winemaking. Under Boulay’s charge, the quality of the land and its resultant produce need nothing in the way of corrections. The soil is ploughed, no herbicides or pesticides are used, yields are kept low and harvesting is by hand (extremely rare these days in Sancerre). In the winery there is no chapitalisation, no added yeasts or enzymes. The wine ferments naturally and Boulay doesn’t filter unless the wine needs it. The wines do not see any new oak, though some of the wines are fermented in old barrels. Very importantly, the average vine age in the Boulay vineyards is over 45 years. Finally, and most significantly of all, is Boulay’s remarkable selection of Chavignol terroirs, including a parcel in the very rare Comtesse. With a family history of winegrowing in Chavignol that dates back to the 1300’s, there is little wonder that the Boulay clan have managed to assemble one of the finest collections of vineyards in the area.