Bouche Père & Fils

Four generations in Pierry

The history of the house begins in 1920. Abel Bouché founded the estate with a single hectare of vines. The first cuvées reached the market in 1945. Pierre Bouché is regarded as the founder of the brand, and later generations have enlarged the house. Today José and Nicolas Bouché run the estate. Nicolas, an agricultural engineer and oenologist, represents the fourth generation. The headquarters are in Pierry, a premier cru village right next to Épernay.

Vines, cellars and ageing

The family farms 30 hectares spread across several Champagne villages. The sources name between nine and eleven villages. A large majority of the sites are classified grand cru or premier cru. The variety of soils and microclimates gives the range its aromatic complexity. Gault&Millau also notes HVE3 certification.

According to Gault&Millau, vinification takes place in temperature-controlled stainless steel tanks. The bottles age on the lees for four to ten years. Since 2018 there has been a chai housing more than 120 oak barrels. The bottles are stored in vaulted cellars dug into the chalk.

Cuvées, visit and tasting

The range comprises seven cuvées. These include the Cuvée Réservée, the Cuvée Saphir, Expertise 7, a millésime, a blanc de blancs, a blanc de noirs and a rosé. According to Falstaff, the Cuvée Saphir is a Chardonnay. The blanc de noirs is listed there as a brut nature made from Pinot Noir.

Visitors are welcome. The tour leads from the vineyard through the pressing house and down into the cellars. There you can see both mechanical and manual riddling (remuage) as well as disgorgement (dégorgement). It ends with a guided tasting of six cuvées. According to the Champagne trade body, the winery is open Monday to Friday from 9am to 1pm and from 2pm to 5pm. For cellar tours, booking 24 hours in advance is recommended. The address is 10 Rue du Général de Gaulle, 51530 Pierry. You can reach the house by telephone on +33 3 26 54 12 44.