2022 Burgundy En Primeur

Domaine Jean-Marc Bouley, Volnay

Thomas Bouley

Following Thomas Bouley’s arrival to work with his father Jean-Marc, this Domaine has taken its place alongside Volnay’s top estates. Thomas has fine-tuned the wine-making with rare intelligence and skill. The estate has several parcels of old vines and some superbly-placed First Growths. He told us: “2004 was the last year we did a green harvest here. We have a naturally low crop, because we prune pretty short, we keep old vines, and we trim high and late, to favour small bunches.” Here we find carefully judged extractions, intelligent inclusion of whole cluster bunches, and judicious use of new oak barrels. He allows most of his wines to pass a second winter in barrel, prior to their bottling, which refines them, as well as helping stability. Thomas has been slightly increasing the proportion of new barrels, to bring more oxygen to the wines during tending (without new oak being perceptible). Time in barrel is carefully judged, the regional wines receiving about a year, those of village level an extra 3-4 months, with the top First Growths being bottled before their second summer.

Prices are per case, in bond UK.