Julien describes himself as ‘a man on the ground’; always close to the source of his wines and appreciating that this is the key to fantastic wine.
The philosophy of Domaine Boutinot is to make wines which are ready to be enjoyed as soon as they’re released, but which will continue to develop character and flavour when kept for several years.
There are times when a vintage can be really tough, but at Domaine Boutinot the team enjoy the challenge of nature. They work harder in difficult years than in good ones to make great wine.
Their philosophy is to focus on drinkability. To create wines which are there to be savoured, and enjoyed, especially with food, and which aim to bring out the flavours of the ingredients, rather than overpower them.
The test of a good wine is one which leaves you always craving another glass!
There is an emphasis on quality at every stage of the winemaking process. Nature, not convenience, dictates when the harvest will take place.
In the winery grapes are allowed a long cuvaison, typically 3 to 4 weeks, using gentle methods (even stirring by hand), to extract the colour from the skins. Some wines are transferred into wooden barrels where complexity is added through oak. They often use "demi-muids" (large 600 litre barrels) so the ratio of oak to wine is lower and hence the oak influence is more integrated.
