Gerard Boulay |
Country of Origin: France
Location: Sancerre
People: Gerard Boulay, Owner & Winemaker
The land records for Chavignol in the year 1380 mention a Jean Boulay as owner of vineyards. Gerard Boulay's family domaine of 9ha goes back to 1380! Back then, the Clos
de Beaujeu in Chavignol was known for the quality of its white
wine which is remarkable since Sancerre was known as a red wine area
until after phylloxera. In the 14th century the Clos de Beaujeu supplied
the Cathedral of Bourges with white wine.
8 of the hectares are on the
slopes of Chavignol on Kimmeridgian or "terre blanche" soils (actually
similar to the soils in Chablis). The wines produced here
are some of the most distinctive and soil-inflected Sauvignon Blancs
produced in the Loire, with a delineation and minerality often
reminiscent of a top Chablis. Among its top ranks, including some of
Boulay's neighbors (the Cotats, Vatan, Thomas-Labaille), these are
gorgeous, age-worthy wines that are a clear step above "regular." John Gilman, in "A view from the Cellar" wrote "I have a hard time understanding why Domaine Gérard Boulay is not spoken of in the same reverential tones reserved for the Cotat cousins, Domaine Vatan and Domaine Didier Dagueneau- these wines are that good!"
Wine Advocate June 2012: "Gerard Boulay, like Thomas Labaille, has just moved into his own spacious new warehouse-like facility along the main road from Chavignol to Sancerre. He is thrilled to at last not be constrained by tight cellar facilities, as well as to have a common location where he can show and sell, as well as raise his young wines. There has seldom, if ever, been a finer pair of vintages back to back here than 2010 and 2011, which among other things fully vindicates Boulay’s decision –which might initially have seemed too eager to proliferate progressively more expensive cuvees. At the same time, the basic bottlings from this address in pink as well as white remain consistently outstanding values. It’s a pleasure to witness the buzz beginning at last to collect both in France and abroad around this diligent grower whose wines for so long far-excelled his modest reputation. (Full disclosure: In my previous profession, I was an early importer of Boulay’s wines ... but as such, I have also had chance to taste lots of old wines from this cellar, and thus know whereof I speak!) Boulay picked from September 3-14, 2011 and began on the 25th in 2010. As if to make amends for nature’s 2009 naughtiness and any complicity for which he might have felt responsible, Boulay’s bottlings in both subsequent vintages are notably low in alcohol, rarely exceeding 13%."
Media Links
The New York Times: The Sancerre Moment |
