PATRICK BOUJU
Patrick Bouju started the Domaine de la Bohème in 2004 with only 1.5 ha. Today its vineyards stretch over 5 hectares on volcanic soils, rich in basalt, through the chain of Auvergne extinct volcanoes. Patrick recently obtained a license to buy grapes and released a range of négociant wines. He buys grapes from farmers working not only in the Auvergne but also in the south of France.
Patrick is looking for the best known and forgotten soils of Puy-de-Dôme. As a result, his vineyards are fragmented with a majority of old vines with high planting densities (10000 plants / ha) ; his oldest vine is 116 years old. These vines are of amazing biodiversity and grape varieties, such as Limberger, Mirefleurien, Gamay Fréau, Gamay de Bouze and Gamay varietals with small or big berry. Wine are vinified separately to reflect the characteristics of each terroir.
For Patrick, this variety of grapes is an inestimable heritage as winemaking becomes globally uniformist. They are grown with great respect for nature. The vineyards are grassed, for treatments he uses products based on copper and sulfur as well as fermented extracts of plants or herbal teas such as nettle, horsetail or comfrey to reinforce the natural defence of the vine.
No weed killers or synthetic chemicals, the majority of the work in the vineyard is done manually. In Patrick’s wines we only find grapes and sweat …
