Winery Bohème Winery

The vineyards at Winery Bohème are scattered across the region, as Patrick Bouju is interested only in the best—both well-known and forgotten—terroirs of the Puy-de-Dôme. Most of these are very old vines with high planting densities (10,000 vines per hectare), and the oldest is 116 years old. These vineyards boast astonishing biodiversity, featuring a wide range of grape varieties such as Limberger, Mirefleurien, Gamay Fréau, Gamay de Bouze, and numerous varieties of small-berried and large-berried Gamay. --- In these times of standardization, these grape varieties are an invaluable asset. Patrick Bouju tends his vineyards with great respect for nature: he practices cover cropping and uses copper- and sulfur-based products, as well as fermented plant extracts and herbal teas to strengthen the vines’ natural defenses. No herbicides or synthetic chemicals are used. 

Most of the work in the vineyard is done by hand. In his wines, “there are grapes and sweat…” Winemaking is done plot by plot to bring out the characteristics of the different terroirs. Low yields, long extractions, and native yeasts from each plot. There is little or no intervention during winemaking; with healthy, concentrated grapes, balance should come naturally... No sulfites are added during winemaking or bottling, so these are truly “living” wines... “Take care of them as I have taken care of them; store my wines in a cellar at temperatures below 15°C.”