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Domain: Gérard Boulay

Discretely, since the early 2000s, Gérard Boulay has joined the elite winemakers of Sancerre, among Cotat, Vatan and Vacheron. His pure whites, crystalline and apt for ageing, strongly and elegantly express the identity of the terroir. For this, Boulay goes to great lengths, leading rigorous work in the vines and supervising meticulous vinification. The result speaks for itself. And it’s striking.

The Boulay family has been cultivating vines in Chavignol since 1310. This village lies deep in the appellation of Sancerre and its steep hillsides are home to the vineyards of Les Monts Damnés, les Culs de Beaujeu and La Grande Côte. If you have already tried a François Cotat wine these names will most definitely mean something to you. Gérard Boulay manages a domain with 11.5 hectares of vines, half owned and half rented. Two hectares are planted for red and rosé wines and the rest is dedicated to white wine. He is one of the rare winemakers in Sancerre to till the soil, using a tracked vehicle to plough the steepest slopes - 1.5 hectares in Culs de Beaujeu, 1.8 hectares in Monts Damnés and 45 ares in Grande Côte. To protect against erosion, grass cover is used as a matter of course on the hillsides. In the "cru" vineyards, grapes are harvested by hand whereas in the other terroirs a good proportion are machine harvested. The vines are treated as little as possible and there are no pesticides, fungicides or chemical fertilisers. The domain uses some organic compost but not with the goal of increasing yields. The same philosophy is applied to winemaking. Yeasts are, of course, indigenous and the wine is decanted at the end of the fermentation stage and left over fine lees. An absolute minimum of sulphur is used and the wine rests in 300 litre barrels or enamel or stainless steel vats. This domain is one of the finest names in the appellation and is especially known for pure wines that express the diversity of Chavignol terroirs to perfection.