Francis Boulard

A winery with 6 generations of history behind it risks disappearing in 2009, as Raymond Boulard's three sons decide to follow their own professional careers. Thanks to Francis, his wife Jeanne and their daughter Delphine, however, the winemaking tradition is not lost, on the contrary, they are the ones who started a new business, Francis Boulard Champagne & Fille. From the beginning, Francis pushes the whole family to use only natural methods in the cultivation of their vineyards and now his goal has been achieved, that of seeing the entire management of the maison recognized as organic and even biodynamic. The vineyards of his estate are mainly located in Cormicy, north-west of Reims in Saint-Thierry, on hills nicknamed "la Petit Montagne de Reims". Herbicides and synthetic chemical substances are banned between the rows and the rhythms followed are those of the lunar calendar, which indicates the best time for each intervention in the vineyard. In this way, rich, natural and full bunches are harvested from the three hectares of vineyards owned by the company, so the work in the cellar is aimed at enhancing every single and peculiar facet of the reference terroir. The Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier grapes are left to ferment spontaneously using only indigenous yeasts and undergo continuous batonnage, to then mature in large, old oak barrels. Finally, the duration of the refermentation and the choice of sugar dosage complete the work, so that all Champagnes labeled "Francis Boulard" offer wonderful organoleptic sensations. The methods that Francis Boulard chose to use have allowed the maison's wines to achieve greater aromatic complexity and a greater mineral vein in the glass; champagnes produced in very few thousand bottles, frank, decisive, true: a photo of the territory from which they come.