COUNTRY :
France
REGION :
Auvergne
PRODUCTION :
Patrick Bouju
After a lifetime before, Patrick Bouju settled in the Auvergne, where he released his first commercial vintage in 2002 and left his job as an engineer in 2008 to make wine full time.
Patrick first started drinking wine while he was a chemistry student in Clermont-Ferrand, realizing he had a dislike for classical wine, as his body had an intolerance for sulphur. In 1994 and 1995, while joining the military in Chalon-sur-Saône, Patrick met many sons of low-intervention winemakers, inspiring him to go on to study viticulture in Beaune.
Following his studies, Patrick moved to the village of Glaine-Montaigut in the Auvergne and started cultivating a small handful of vines, little by little. There is a scarcity of vines in this region, having been wiped out by phylloxera after Wold War I and II. The terroir is very unique, with many complexities, but most apparent is the volcanic content of the soil.
Patrick tends to several small plots of vines around his village, with some vines aging back 120 years. He runs every aspect of the winery, from working in the vineyards by horse, to bottling, labeling, and bookkeeping.
“Picapol”
Region: Auvergne
Grape: Picpoul de Pinot
Vineyard Size: 5 ha
Soil: granite
Farming: organic
Harvest: by hand
Winemaking: whole bunch, short maceration on the skins, fermented in fiberglass tanks.
Aging: stainless steel
Fining: none
Filtration: none
Added S02: none
“P”
Region: Auvergne
Grape: Pinot Noir
Vineyard Size: 5 ha
Soil: basalt
Farming: organic
Harvest: by hand
Winemaking:
Aging: stainless steel
Fining: none
Filtration: none
Added S02: none
“Love Song”
Region: Auvergne
Grape: Mourvedre, Cinsault, Pinot Noir d’Auvergne, Gamay, Merlot
Vineyard Size: 5 ha
Soil: granite
Farming: organic
Harvest: by hand
Winemaking: direct press Mourvedre and Cinsault. All grapes fermented seperately
Aging: stainless steel
Fining: none
Filtration: none
Added S02: none
The Blanc
Region: Auvergne
Grape: Chardonnay
Vineyard Size:
Soil: clay, limestone
Average Age of Vines: 35-60 years
Farming: organic
Harvest: by hand
Winemaking: spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts
Aging: oak barrel
Fining: none
Filtration: none
Added S02: none
J
Region: Savoie
Grape: Jacquère
Vineyard Size:
Soil: basalt
Average Age of Vines:
Farming: organic
Harvest: by hand
Winemaking: 1 month skin contact in concrete tanks and matured in fiber tanks
Aging: fiber
Fining: none
Filtration: none
Added S02: none
“lulu”
Region: Auvergne
Grape: Gamay
Vineyard Size: 5 hectares
Soil: basalt
Average Age of Vines: 70 years
Farming: organic
Harvest: by hand
Winemaking: destemmed, 150 day maceration, spontaneous fermentation in anfora with indigenous yeasts
Aging: 12 months in neutral oak
Fining: none
Filtration: none
Added S02: none
“Sein Pour Sein”
Region: Auvergne
Grape: Pinot Noir
Vineyard Size: 5 hectares
Soil: basalt
Average Age of Vines: 80 years
Farming: organic
Harvest: by hand
Winemaking: spontaneous fermentation in neutral oak and fiberglass tanks with indigenous yeasts
Aging: in neutral oak and fiberglass tanks
Fining: none
Filtration: none
Added S02: none
“Cailloux”
Region: Auvergne
Grape: Pinot Noir, Gamay
Vineyard Size: 5 hectares
Soil: basalt
Average Age of Vines: 120 years
Farming: organic
Harvest: by hand
Winemaking: 75% destemmed, whole cluster, 30 day maceration, spontaneous fermentation in neutral oak with indigenous yeasts
Aging: in neutral oak
Fining: none
Filtration: none
Added S02: none
“G&M”
Region: Auvergne
Grape: Muscat d’Alexandrie, Riesling, Grenache Gris, Auxerrois
Vineyard Size: 5 hectares
Soil: basalt
Average Age of Vines: 120 years
Farming: organic
Harvest: by hand
Winemaking: co-maceration, spontaneous fermentation in anfora and fiberglass tanks with indigenous yeasts
Aging: in anfora and fiberglass tanks
Fining: none
Filtration: none
Added S02: none
“M”
Region: Loire
Grape: Melon de Bourgogne
Vineyard Size:
Soil: amphibolite, gneiss, schist
Average Age of Vines:
Farming: organic
Harvest: by hand
Winemaking: direct press, spontaneous fermentation in fiberglass tanks with indigenous yeasts
Aging: in fiberglass tanks
Fining: none
Filtration: none
Added S02: none
“Super B”
Region: Beaujolais
Grape: Gamay
Vineyard Size:
Soil: granite
Average Age of Vines:
Farming: organic
Harvest: by hand
Winemaking: destemmed, 15 day maceration, spontaneous fermentation in fiberglass tanks with indigenous yeasts
Aging: 12 months in neutral barrels
Fining: none
Filtration: none
Added S02: none
“Môl”
Region: Loire
Grape: Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault, Gamay
Vineyard Size:
Soil: basalt
Average Age of Vines: 20-86 years
Farming: organic
Harvest: by hand
Winemaking: Syrah is partially destemmed, 10 day carbonic maceration in fiberglass tanks, 7-10 day spontaneous fermentation in fiberglass tanks with indigenous yeasts
Aging: 9 months in fiberglass tanks
Fining: none
Filtration: none
Added S02: none
“Festejar!”
Region: Auvergne
Grape: Gamay
Vineyard Size: 5 hectares
Soil: basalt
Average Age of Vines: 120 years
Farming: organic
Harvest: by hand
Winemaking: spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel with indigenous yeasts
Aging: méthode ancestrale
Fining: none
Filtration: none
Added S02: none
“Brutal!!!”
Region: Loire
Grape: Gamay, Syrah
Vineyard Size: 5 hectares
Soil: basalt
Average Age of Vines: 60 years
Farming: organic
Harvest: by hand
Winemaking: spontaneous co-fermentation in fiberglass tanks with indigenous yeasts
Aging: in fiberglass tanks
Fining: none
Filtration: none
Added S02: none