This domaine is situated in Saint Andelain where the family has been winemakers for four generations. The La renardiere was established by Robert Poirier. At that time there was a forest beside the domaine with a lot of foxes. Hence the name of the domaine. Through a marriage later in the family-tree the vineyard hill next to the La renardiere was expanded. So today most of the vines belonging to this producer is situated at the domaine, which is unusual for the area. Today the estate is run by Arlaud Bouchie. The total of 23 hectares are situated on a gentle hill that runs down from Saint Andelain towards the Loire river. Besides sauvignon blanc there are 0,35 hectares of old vine Chasselas. The estate has been using massal selection since the 1930’s with emphasis on low yielding clones. Average age of the vines is 30 years. The soil is kimmeridgian marl. Parts are calcareous and parts have flinty clay.
Winemaking practices are usual to the area. Traditional cultivating methods using either single Guyot or Cordon royat. Plots of the vineyards are separated both in the harvest and in the vinification. They are then classified by their quality before further production. Vinnifivation are done by pneumatic presses, must settling at low temperature before temperature-controlled fermentation. The cuvee Premier millesime have some skin-maceration-time. For all cuvees the must also spends time on the lees.
There are three cuvees made of Pouilly-fume at Domaine Bouchie-Chatellier. The Pouilly-fume La Renardiere is the standard-cuvee that makes up most of the production. Then there are two separate cuvees: Argile a S - stands for argile a silex which may be translated to clay with flints. The best grapes from the best parcels have been selected for this cuvee. The last cuvee is Premier millesime – which is made from ripe grapes from old vines on the top of the Saint Andelain hill grown on flint soils.
To Norway the wines of Bouchie-Chatellier are imported by Fondberg. Two cuvees are available: Pouilly-fume Argile a S (#56579, Kr.189,90) and Pouilly-fume Premier millesime 2008 (#56580, Kr.239,90).
Tasting notes
Pouilly-fume La renardiere 2010
Straw colour. Lightly aromatic and sour-sweet sauvignon blanc on the nose. Quite flowery fruit. Some nettle. Medium to fullbodied Pouilly-fume in the mouth. A light creaminess, yet refreshing style. Quite aromatic fruit. Some nettles, flowers. Some minerality. Fine acidity, good length. This is a very nice entry-level Pouilly-fume.
Pouilly-fume Argile a S 2010
Straw colour. This shows typical flint-notes and minerality on the nose. Comxplex fine nose for such a young wine. Slimmer in the mouth than the La renardiere. Medium bodied. More refined, elegant and crisp acidic style. The minerality and depth is better. Fine acidity and good length. This is a very fine wine that shows great typicity to the flint-soils.
Pouilly-fume premier millesime 2010
More intense nose here. Lots of minerality. This has riper grapes, but alcohol is not higher and this seems mineral and not ripe on the nose. Fine fruit. Young. Fullbodied Pouilly-fume in the mouth. This is bigger than the two previous wines. Good concentration. The fruit is young and tight. There is lots of minerality here. Fine acidity and a long taste. This is a very good Pouilly-fume and one of the best of the tour. But it would have been great to taste this with some age on it. Right now it is very tight and ungiving.
These were the only three wines we tasted at Bouchie-Chatellier. Unfortunately the wines were all very young and did not show its full potensial, perhaps except the Le renardiere. The two others will gain from a year or two in the cellar. From what I have tasted, this a domaine to look out for. But I will need to retaste these wines in a year or two to make a final judgement.
Arnt Egil Nordlien
Tasting note: Sep-11
The vineyards next to the domaine La renardiere in Saint Andelain.
Equipment in the wine-cellar? Yes, this is the first thing that meets you when you go inside domaine Bouchie-Chatellier. The old Renault 4CV is still in use. The rest of the cellar were in the same stellar shape and impeccably well kept.
Further down the stairs there were old concrete-tanks for aging of the wine.