Wine Advisor
Jean-Marc Bouley, Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chenes 2015
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2015 Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chênes includes 55% whole bunch fruit this year and one new barrel out of five. It has a glorious bouquet with pixelated redcurrant and blackcurrant aromas, outstanding mineral tension and "bite" on display here. The palate is silky smooth and harmonious on the entry. There is not a single hair out of place , the acidity supremely well judged with a taut saline finish reining everything back in for later, when this reaches full maturity in bottle. This is an outstanding Clos des Chênes from Thomas Bouley - surely the best he has ever made.
About the Producer
History 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. Vineyard The production is essentially in red wine, amongst the villages of Volnay, Pommard and Beaune, with the exception of one vineyard producing white wines, Bourgogne Aligoté, which is situated in the area of Meursault. Burgundy has this peculiarity to have vineyards divided up. Today, we exploit 8ha80 divided into 29 plots of land. Philosophy Burgundy wines arise first from the soil. Each year we are looking to express as accurately as possible the nuances of each appellation. We combine traditional methods and modern technology to produce concentrated wines, with good fruit, elegance and roundness which gives us pleasure while they are young and good potential for ageing. Culture de la vigne 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. Wine making 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. Marketing All the bottling is done at the Domain. We do all the commercialization of our wines. All over the world, we work in collaboration with our importers. In France, our wines are distributed through wine shops, restaurants and a few very good agents. We also send directly to private clients.
