Portraits of winemakers

THE BOUEY FAMILY, ROOTED IN THE MEDOC

The Bouey Family: Rooted in Médoc

A Legacy of Winemaking

Nestled between the Atlantic Ocean and the Gironde estuary in the heart of Médoc, the Bouey family has been cultivating vines for 200 years. The winemaking journey for the Bouey family began in 1821 with the acquisition of their first 11 hectares of vines. Since then, the family vineyard has been passed down through generations, gradually expanding with other estates surrounding the historical anchor. For the Bouey family, the concept of inheritance is central; each generation at the helm of the vineyards views itself not as an owner but as a guardian of this family legacy.

Today, the vineyards are managed by twin brothers Patrick and Jacques Bouey. Supported by their partner and friend Stéphane Derenoncourt, a renowned international winemaker, the brothers aim to chart new paths in the standardized world of Crus Bourgeois in the Médoc appellation.

Bouey Family: A New Vision for Médoc Wines

Patrick and Jacques Bouey aspire for each of their cuvées to express the identity and uniqueness of its terroir while exploring new methods of winemaking and blending. To achieve this, they rely on the expertise of Stéphane Derenoncourt, considered the most talented winemaker in Bordeaux by Wine Spectator! This new vision drives them to reduce the proportion of new oak aging and to explore bolder winemaking techniques such as the use of amphorae, whole-cluster fermentation (including stems), and winemaking without added sulfites. This approach challenges Bordeaux's conventional norms!

In the cellar, meticulous attention is also given to the vineyard. For the past decade, the Bouey family has been engaged in detailed soil management and controlled cover cropping to promote biodiversity. Concurrently, the use of pesticides and chemical fertilizers has been completely eliminated from their practices, with all family estates certified as High Environmental Value Level 3 (HVE3).

Bouey Family Wines: Conveying Emotions

At the Bouey family estate, the goal is not to make wine to impress critics or to be forgotten in the cellar, but to be enjoyed and shared. Their efforts are solely aimed at conveying emotion, providing pleasure, and eliciting a smile from those who taste their wines. The Bouey family strives to enhance what nature provides so that each vintage expresses its uniqueness while retaining the identity of the estate.

This is exemplified by the 2019 vintage, notably illustrated by the cuvée La France Delhomme, which was fermented with whole clusters due to a machine malfunction! This "error" resulted in a great wine that is both indulgent, complex, and surprising, leading the Bouey family to make it a cuvée each year.