Domaine Lamé Delisle Boucard

Created by Pierre Guyot in 1869, Domaine Lamé Delisle Boucard was passed to his son-in-law Jules Lamé, who took advantage of the phylloxera crisis and was one of the first in the region to plant grafted vines. Little by little, he increased the vineyard holdings. Returning from a prisoner of war camp in 1945, Jules’ son Lucien decided with his wife Yvonne to bottle their entire 1947 crop to sell under their label instead of selling it to the négociants as they had previously done.

Whilst the domaine does produce a brasserie-style wine, the Cuvée Déchainée, it is in the Cuvée Prestige that most interest lies. This is made from the oldest vines on the mid-slope parcels, where the clay-chalk soil is the most interesting. The wines are vinified in large tronconic vats and raised in large old oak foudres for varying lengths depending on the vintage. In the best vintages, this wine can age gracefully for many decades.

Philippe Boucard, who currently runs the estate with his wife, sister, and brother-in-law, is a jovial and friendly chap who loves nothing more than talking politics and sport over a few old bottles deep in the domaine’s well-stocked tuffeau cellars underneath the cuverie. It is often tricky to extricate oneself once he has the corkscrew to hand.

There is still space for innovation and forward-thinking for all the tradition and history here. Philippe recently decided to convert the domaine’s 46 hectares of vineyard to organic viticulture, with certification from the 2021 vintage.