Domaine Louis Boillot : Les Rouchaux 2018

Tasting notes and serving suggestions for Les Rouchaux 2018 from Domaine Louis Boillot

Tasting

Color

The wine shows a beautiful ruby hue, bright and of moderate intensity, characteristic of a high-quality Gamay.

Nose

The nose reveals a complex, refined aromatic palette. Red fruits express themselves with elegance, notably wild strawberry and raspberry. Floral notes of rose and violet add delicacy, while spicy touches of white pepper, curry and cinnamon lend depth to the bouquet.

Palate

On the palate, this wine charms with its silky texture and fine, perfectly integrated tannins. Morello cherry leads the fruit expression, accompanied by notes of ripe strawberry and raspberry. The well-preserved acidity brings freshness and vibrancy, while the terroir’s granite-driven minerality emerges on the mid-palate, enhanced by subtle herbal nuances. The finish is persistent and harmonious, leaving a sense of fullness.

Food and wine pairings

This Moulin-à-Vent is an ideal match for white meats such as pork with mustard sauces, duck with fruit, veal or rabbit. It also pairs beautifully with aged, washed-rind cheeses such as Époisses.

Serving and cellaring

Les Rouchaux 2018 can be enjoyed now and will continue to evolve favorably through around 2029.

A silky, complex Moulin-à-Vent from Domaine Louis Boillot

The estate

Founded in 2003 by Louis Boillot, Domaine Louis Boillot & Fils now spans around seven hectares spread across the Côte de Nuits, the Côte de Beaune and Beaujolais. Based in Chambolle-Musigny, the estate is currently run by Louis Boillot, his wife Ghislaine Barthod and their son Clément, who joined the family business in 2019. Clément notably initiated the estate’s expansion within the Moulin-à-Vent appellation, recognizing the exceptional potential of this terroir to produce very high-quality Gamay wines. The estate farms numerous parcels of old vines, some more than eighty years old, and practices sustainable viticulture that excludes synthetic pesticides.

The vineyard

Les Rouchaux comes from a lieu-dit located on the lower part of the Moulin-à-Vent hillside, at an altitude of around 220 to 230 meters. This 2.04-hectare plot is home to Gamay vines averaging sixty-five years of age. The soils are distinguished by their remarkable depth, reaching about two meters, with a composition rich in sand, clay and silt over a subsoil of pink granite enriched with manganese. This deep, clay-rich structure ensures excellent water retention, enabling the vines to maintain a steady water supply even during dry periods. These conditions encourage even ripening of the grapes and give the wines a rounded texture and silky tannins.

The vintage

The 2018 vintage proved contrasting in Beaujolais, with periods of intense heat alternating with episodes of variable rainfall. The Les Rouchaux vines benefited from the water-retaining capacity of their deep soils, which helped prevent water stress and ensured balanced grape ripening. The conditions favored ripe fruit while preserving enough acidity to guarantee freshness and balance in the wine.

Winemaking and aging

The Les Rouchaux 2018 harvest was carried out by hand, allowing for rigorous selection of the bunches. Fermentation took place over a relatively short period—between ten and fourteen days—in order to emphasize finesse and fruit expression rather than excessive tannin extraction. The wine was then aged in French oak barrels for fifteen to eighteen months, with a maximum of 30% new oak to preserve the fruit character and the expression of the terroir. The wine was neither fined nor filtered before bottling, ensuring maximum integrity of its aromas and texture.

Grape variety

100% Gamay