Domaine du Bouchot
Antoine Gouffier is a native of Saint Andelain; from an early age he has been surrounded by vines and vignerons. At the age of 21 he decided to study winemaking, and then embarked on extensive travels. He explored the world for 12 years, stopping for work experience in the USA, New Zealand, Middle East, Argentina and notably in South Africa.
He would settle in South Africa for five years and get his first hands [his first try? his first experience?] at winemaking for few different wineries, learning the ropes from the likes of Duncan Savage. This is also where he would meet his wife, who convinced him to go back to his Loire roots and become what he secretly always wanted to be: a vigneron.
As luck would have it, in 2018, he found an advertisement online mentioning his neighbour Domaine du Bouchot was for sale. The owner Pascal Kerbiquet, a local figure who had made a name for himself working organically and with biodynamic farming since 2009, wanted to retire. Antoine soon found in him a new mentor and would work by his side for a full year. The transition happened smoothly. Little by little but with sheer determination Antoine affirmed his style, choosing hand-harvesting in order to pick at the right maturity (a few days earlier than everyone else), fermentation with natural yeasts, and minimal use amount of SO2 (almost none in 2021). He prefers long ageing on the lees in a combination of vessels: 228l, 350 or 500L barriques, concrete eggs, amphorae, foudre and neutral tank, observing and adapting with every single wine and vintage.
In a space of a handful of vintages, Antoine might have raised a few eyebrows in the region. His work and passion was rewarded in 2022. He was quickly spotted by critics and has been voted “Discovery of the Year 2022” by the French wine magazine La Revue du Vin de France, with journalists stating ”The Pouilly Fumé appellation drifted away from wine lovers' hearts due to most too often thin, acidic and varietal wines with too much sulphites" - a harsh judgment, but besides one or two vignerons, it is probably a true statement!
The Wines
Terres Blanches comes from vineyards with more marles than limestone and therefore a slightly rounder palate than the other two Pouilly Fume in his range.
All of Antoine’s wines are bringing a breeze of fresh air to the Pouilly Fume appelation. Less focused on the grassy notes and an accent on textures.
He makes people and wine professionals drink Sauvignon Blanc again.
Terres Blanches comes from vineyards with more marles than limestone and therefore a slightly rounder palate than the other two Pouilly Fume in his range.
All of Antoine’s wines are bringing a breeze of fresh air to the Pouilly Fume appelation. Less focused on the grassy notes and an accent on textures.
He makes people and wine professionals drink Sauvignon Blanc again.
Terres Blanches comes from vineyards with more marles than limestone and therefore a slightly rounder palate than the other two Pouilly Fume in his range.
All of Antoine’s wines are bringing a breeze of fresh air to the Pouilly Fume appelation. Less focused on the grassy notes and an accent on textures.
He makes people and wine professionals drink Sauvignon Blanc again.
‘A wine like this makes me swallow all the rude things I (sometimes) think about Sauvignon Blanc. It's diaphanous. It's like tasting the moon: glowing white, nacreous. Citrus pith and the cold sweet perfume of night flowers. Crisply defined yet the texture of flowing satin. Quiet lines etched like the whorls of a shell. It's like slender, cool fingers tapping Morse code at the top of your spine – urgent, silent, exquisitely precise. And then the finish is a fern-fringed pool of gentle bitterness. It's stunning.’ 17.5/20 Drink 2024 – 2032 (Tamlyn Currin - Jancisrobinson.com)
Winemaker Antoine Gouffier has previously worked with Duncan Savage in South Africa, and there is a whisper of lemon, fresh herb and elderflower which is faintly redolent of Duncan’s wines. What is clear is that Gouffier is keen to celebrate the purity and essence of his Sauvignon Blanc as opposed to loading them with winemaking artefacts. Fresh, bright and linear with loads of cleansing, aromatherapeutic notes, this is an effortlessly classy wine with tea-like exoticism and faint hints of barrels. Gorgeous from tip to toe and a little lighter and brighter than many, this is a sprite-like wine with an overwhelmingly positive aura, and it sings of its famous origins with clarity and conviction. 18.5/20 - Matthew Jukes
Sourced from old vines planted in 1955, MCMLV is the flagship cuvée of Domaine du Bouchot — a biodynamic pioneer in Pouilly-Fumé. The 2023 vintage brings remarkable clarity and structure, expressing the full character of Kimmeridgian limestone soils with precision and restraint.
The nose is vibrant and complex, offering aromas of grapefruit zest, lime blossom, and green apple, layered with smoky flint, chalk dust, and a subtle herbal edge. On the palate, the wine is tightly wound and intensely mineral, with piercing acidity and a bone-dry profile. Notes of lemon pith, crushed stone, and a touch of white pepper build into a long, tense finish that hums with energy.
A focused, terroir-driven Sauvignon Blanc of real pedigree — ideal for lovers of racy Loire whites.