The Bourillon-Dorléans Estate was founded in 1921 by Gaston Dorléans, and at the present time represents 26 hectares of vineyard (50% ole Vines – mature stock) located on the best oriented of the Vouvray appellation slopes. The will is to perpetuate the traditional way of thinking and the quality of their wines especially through their strong personality. Wine growing which respects nature is also a guarantee for the optimal and regular quality of the wine.
The cellars and vineyards are at Rochecorbon, about 3 Kilometres west of Vouvray. Most of the vineyards are in one piece surrounding the Château de Montgouverne, an attractive 18th century mansion on the plateau dominating the right bank of the Loire. The cellars are typical of Vouvray : 15th century caves or quarries carved out of the hillside to provide stone for building the Châteaux of the Loire.
Young FrédéricBourillon is young and dynamic. Not content to be a great wine maker, he is also a great promoter, always successfully banding together young Vouvray growers for participation in tastings and trade fairs throughout Europe.
The Bourillon family have been making wine at Rochecorbon for many generations. Documents show the estate was founded in 1875, but it was in the 1930’s that Frédéric’s great grandfather, Gaston, started to organize the estate as it is today. Recently Frédéric has been energetically consolidating the vineyard holdings still further.
Most of them are on the plateau above Rochecorbon, near the “Lanterne”, a beacon tower that gave warning of river born invaders in the middle ages.
A new vinification plant has been built, outside the medieval underground cellars. Brand new stainless steal vats permit fermentation in ideal conditions. Ageing in the tortuous old cellars at a constant temperature allows the oldest wines to show their full potential, even after 50 years or more. A recently tasted 1921 was still young with wonderful flavours of honey and flowers, mature Chenin Blanc at perfection.
Above all the BourillonDorléans wines display the passion that Frédéric devotes to their production. A “moelleux” will only be produced when conditions are perfect. The 1985 was very fine and both 1989 and 1990 quite exceptional. These are surely wines of world class status, amount the best the Loire can produce ; wines for future generations, lasting 75 years and more.
About 30% of the production is exported, mostly to the United States, and Northern Europe. Sales in France to private clients and a few prestigious restaurants.
FrédéricBourillon produces Vouvray of enormous charm and complexity. The dry Vouvray is crisp and clean with a perfect balance. Many dry Vouvrays are acidic and aggressive but, due to low yields, Frédéric obtains a richness and concentration that balances well with the acidity. The Demi-Sec is classic Vouvray at its best. The 25 to 26 grams of residual sugar give the wines a wonderful soft texture that makes them very appealing on the palate. The Chenin is often at its best when the wines are not totally dry. With Bourillon’s Vouvray Demi-Sec there are wonderful rich flavours of apples, exotic fruit and, above all, the polish that shows the wines have been made with enormous care.
The sweet to very sweet ‘moelleux’ wines must rank with the great dessert wines of the world. They are only made in a good vintage when conditions for the development of botrytis are perfect. Again, the very small yield and enormous concentration provide us with something very special and unique. In 2009 and 2015 the conditions were ideal, the bouquet is extremely complex and intense with aromas of mangoes and honey. On the palate, your mouth is filled with an explosion of flavours. Robert Parker’s comments on the 1989 vintage were as follows :96/100 “Brilliant focus, extraordinary concentration, and remarkable tangy sweetness are all intertwined with flavors of honey, mangoes, and apples. This wine is buttressed by zesty acidity, giving it unbelievable poise and freshness in the mouth. It is truly a mind-boggling dessert wine, with phenomenal precision and clarity to its flavors. Drink it over the next 20-25 years.” 96 Points.
Domaine Bourillon-Dorléans has already won different awards and very recently won GOLD Medal Award and a SILVER Medal Award in Singapore Awards 2021–Wines & Spirits Category !
Domaine Bourillon-Dorléans Vouvray – Chenin/Vallée de la Loire France – L’indigène 2018
Awarded Gold by Singapore Newspaper
Domaine Bourillon-Dorléans Vouvray – Chenin/Vallée de la Loire France – Oppidum 2016
Awarded Silver by Singapore Newspaper
Products :
Vouvray Sec, VieillesVignesCoulééd’Argent and Indigéne and Oppidum
Vouvray Demi-Sec
Vouvray Moëlleux La Levriére
Vouvray Moëlleux, TrieSpéciale “La Coulée d’Or”
Vouvray Brut, Hélène Dorléans and Premium
Vinification and ageing :
50 % of the production is picking by hand. Traditional vinification at 16 to 18°C in temperature controlled stainless steel vats. Fermentation lasts for up to 4 weeks. Racking follows and then further ageing on the fine lees until bottling in April following the harvest. A small proportion, from old vines, is vinified and aged in 3 to 4 year old casks purchased from Château Yquem. The sparkling Vouvray is made by the classic Champagne method.
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