In the village of Pouilly, in the middle of the Pouilly-Fuissé AOC lies Domaine du Roc des Boutires. The winery’s name draws on both terroir and tradition: its proximity with the Roche de Solutré, an emblem of the appellation and a testament to the extraordinary geologic richness of this vineyard; as well as the domaine’s settlement in the very heart of one of the best terroirs of the appellation —“Aux Bouthières.” In the ancient French vocabulary, a “boutière” was a secondary road that mule skinners used for the transportation of oils and wines in remote parts of the country. The vineyard of Domaine du Roc des Boutires is only 5 kilometers (3.12 miles) west of the ancient Roman track of Via Agrippa, on a very small road which now leads to the village of Solutré, the hills of the Mâconnais and the plains of the Charolais.

Exclusively coming from the terroir ‘Aux Bouthières’, 0.66 hectares (1.6 acre). Soils are deep, with clay, and interlaced with pieces of shale. The vineyard was officially classified as Premier Cru in 2020. The ‘vielles vignes’ of Chardonnay, located at the southern end of Burgundy, are planted between 250 and 500 meters in altitude, higher than the other AOC from Bourgogne. Thus, they provide both maturity and freshness to the wines. Vineyard orientation is East/South-East.

The 2019 vintage was the sunniest since 1990. An exceptionally sunny February encouraged early vegetation, but early cold Spring nights were a challenge. On April 4th, a frost close to -4 C (25 F) affected nearly 40% of the vineyard. As flowering and fruit development began, the berries were small, due to the lack of rain until the end of July. August had lower temperatures than normal with an excess of rain. However, the Chardonnay grapes remained lower in weight than in the past 13 years, with yields down 35%. As a result, the vintage started a little later. In all, the wines are very aromatic and fine, with a great freshness.

The berries are driven to the press by gravity, and immediately pressed as whole bunches. Once the juice is extracted, the juices are cooled down to 46.4° F (8°C) for 2 days on average in order to make the particles fall in the tank. This cold soak preserves the best quality and primary aromas. Malolactic fermentation happens naturally. Bâtonnage is scarce, while barrels and tanks are used depending on the profile of the vintage.

Color can be described as v ibrant straw with green-gold reflections. Complex aromas of citrus and orchard fruit, lemon, pear, peach and honey with layers of minerality and subtle oak. Classic and elegant.