Bouzy

What it is

Bouzy is one of Champagne’s seventeen Grand Cru villages, set on the south-facing slopes of the Montagne de Reims. Around 378 hectares of vineyard. Plantings: 87 percent Pinot Noir, 12 percent Chardonnay, a negligible share of Meunier. The most outspoken Pinot Noir village of northern Champagne. One of the twelve original Grand Cru villages when the Échelle des Crus was set up in 1911.

Soil and aspect

Southeast-facing slopes on clay-rich chalk and marl. Topsoil is thicker than in Côte des Blancs villages, with more organic matter and clay. The chalk typically sits 0.5 to 2 metres below the surface. Strong sun exposure, more growing-degree days than the north-facing Grand Cru villages on the Montagne (Verzenay, Mailly). The result: riper Pinot Noir with more body and roundness.

Slope gradient averages 5 to 15 percent. Above the vineyards the forests of the Parc Naturel Régional de la Montagne de Reims begin.

Bouzy Rouge

Bouzy has a second face: a still red wine under the Coteaux Champenois AOC. One of the few villages where the still version is still commercially made. 100 percent Pinot Noir, light structure, red fruit and a herbal touch. Low tannin from the cool climate. Not a great wine compared with Burgundy, but a worthwhile curiosity. Known producers: André Clouet, Paul Bara, Egly-Ouriet (rarely bottled under their own label).

Leading producers

• Pierre Paillard: grower with Bouzy Grand Cru cuvées, “Les Maillerettes” (single-vineyard Blanc de Noirs), “Les Mottelettes” (Blanc de Blancs from Bouzy)
• Egly-Ouriet: one of the leading Bouzy growers. Cuvées: “Brut Tradition Grand Cru”, “Vieillissement Prolongé”, “Millésimé”
• André Clouet: explicitly Pinot Noir-oriented, “Cuvée 1911” (a tribute to the Échelle des Crus)
• Paul Bara: five-generation family, “Comtesse Marie de France” prestige cuvée
• Bollinger: sources Bouzy fruit for the blends of Special Cuvée and La Grande Année. One of the larger buyers in the village.
• Hervé Brunet: smaller independent

In the glass

Champagne from Bouzy: ripe red fruit (cherry, raspberry), wide palate, a herbal hint, structured body. Less vertical than Verzenay (north), more fruit and power. Sometimes a light peppery edge. With age: toasted nut, leather, occasionally mushroom.

When to drink

Best window: 4 to 15 years depending on producer. An Egly-Ouriet Bouzy Grand Cru can effortlessly hit twenty years. In big-house blends where Bouzy is a component (Bollinger Special Cuvée): drink-now, not for extreme ageing.

At the table: poultry with a rich sauce, duck, veal, grilled fish with body. The riper Pinot Noir handles heavier dishes than a typical Blanc de Blancs from the Côte des Blancs.

Compared with neighbours

• Verzenay (north): cooler, tighter, more mineral. Pinot Noir with more tension.
• Ambonnay (east): similar south-facing position, similar style. A direct counterpart.
• Mailly-Champagne (north): sits between Verzenay and Bouzy.

Bouzy and Ambonnay together form the southern Pinot Noir cluster of the Montagne de Reims: powerful, generous, fruit-driven.