OLIVIER BOULIN
GFX 2020
Jura, France
A fifty year old vineyard of Gamay planted over clay and limestone in the heart of the Côte de Nuits is the sort of thing Olivier dreams of and he has certainly done it justice here. The grapes were fermented as whole bunches for three weeks before being pressed to old barrels for a year of rest. Offering a wonderful marriage of grape and place, it pairs the variety’s easygoing charm and perfume with the sort of texture and length one might expect from a great Pinot grown around here.
Gamay
ABOUT THE PRODUCER
Olivier Boulin is a micro-négociant par excellence.
A native of the Jura, Olivier was immersed in wine from a young age, and whilst completing his studies in philosophy he began working alongside talented vignerons all over France and cites time spent with the legendary Antony Tortul of La Sorga and Emmanuel Lançon of Domaine des Murmures as major influences on his work.
Olivier began making wine in the cellar underneath his family home in the village of Champvans in 2015. Each year he seeks out healthy grapes grown on old vines in great terroirs. He has a knack for finding special vineyards, whether it be abandoned plots in storied crus, a couple of rows in prime real estate in Pupillin, or an unfamiliar grape grown in a famous Burgundian village. He harvests the grapes with friends and in the cellar he works his magic.
Olivier makes wines in a decidedly old fashioned way. He favours long, slow and gentle presses of whole bunches over several days, the use of gravity and a proper élevage in old casks. To taste Olivier’s wines is to experience familiar grapes and places anew. They display a wonderful purity of fruit, great texture and heady perfumes. Utterly unique, they offer a glimpse into the mind of an extremely talented young winemaker.