Boulanger & Allante
| Vigneron | Christian Boulanger & Mathieu Allante |
| Location | Gizia, Rotalier (Jura) |
| Size of Domaine | 4.2 ha |
| Terroir | Continental climate. Triassic and Jurassic marls on Bajocian limestone. Gentle to steep slopes mostly south and west facing. 250-450m altitude. |
| Viticulture | Permaculture, practising biodynamic. |
| View Boulanger & Allante wines ↓ |
Christian Boulanger worked full-time at Domaine Labet for over 15 years – he's part of the family, a third sibling for Charline, Romain and Julien Labet.
Despite having imported the Labet wines for two decades, we discovered and drank our first bottle of Boulanger & Allante in Copenhagen: a splendid Phenomaynal 2014 at the must-visit Barabbas restaurant. A phone call to Charline followed, and we were swiftly introduced.
Christian and his friend Mathieu Allante (who also did a stint with the Labets) have been gathering small parcels over the years: patiently waiting for opportunities, they've been leasing and buying plots alongside recovering historical vineyards.
They are two men for two cellars: one is in Rotalier where Christian lives and the other at Mathieu's, in Digna near Gizia (15km south of Rotalier) – a practical set-up since their vines grow around and between these villages.
Boulanger & Allante's holdings comprise plots in different lieux-dits of Rotalier: La Chèvre, La Bardette, Les Varrons, Pataratte, Sous Poids, and Chané; two plots in the village of Maynal (on the way from Rotalier to Gizia) including one taken over from JF 'Fanfan' Ganevat. And finally, there are different parcels in Gizia, at 300-450m altitude, where the duo have accomplished an impressive feat: clearing abandoned vineyards from the invading forest, and planting all Jura varieties as well as pineau d'aunis and mondeuse. The wilderness around Gizia is stunning with majestic cliffs surrounding the vineyards – no wonder they fell in love with this unique terroir.
Vinification occurs in the basement of an ancient parish house – Mathieu lives above – and the approach is minimalistic: whole bunches for the whites while the reds are hand-destemmed; the press is an old Vaslin that releases more 'bourbes' from the grapes (compared to modern presses); they press twice "to extract yeast and the entire message from the skins"; slow fermentation and long ageing follow in older wooden vessels of different sizes and shapes; there's no fining or filtration and bottling is done 'à la chèvre' (manual gravity bottling using a spouted device).
For many years Christian and Mathieu's day jobs were their main source of income; they made a point of being financially independent, without pressure from the banks or anyone else for that matter. They've taken risks and avoided compromising to fully express their sensitivity and creativity – making additive-free wines from Fukuoka-inspired farming.
There's no social media here, no desire for the spotlight; emails and (non-smart) phones are sporadically (and reluctantly) picked up – Mathieu explains, "we want to live in the moment, connected to the people around us, our community, and the astonishing nature we're surrounded with", and Christian adds, with a cheeky smile, "you know, us the Jurassiens we're a bit 'sauvage'!"
This is one of the most exciting projects we've seen, with clear potential for progress – we are proud to support Mathieu and Christian on their path to excellence.
Boulanger & Allante Wines
LE ROI SAVAGNIN 2023
Vin de France
100% Savagnin
100% Savagnin (13% alc.)
Mathieu and Christian recovered a historical terroir in Gizia at 400-450m altitude, turning a once-prestigious south-facing amphitheatre from fallow land to a cultivated vineyard – it sits right next to Vigne Au Daim, the source of the cuvée Almagamé. From 2011 to 2013, they planted savagnin vert and jaune on grey marlstone and schist 'carton' (laminated shale). Aged for two years in old 228ltr barrels, this savagnin is vibrant, deep and rich, with a perfectly pitched oxidation and schist-induced salinity which makes for a versatile wine – perfect for food pairing. Of note, the duo also planted poulsard, trousseau, and pineau d'aunis on this steep slope – each variety goes into its own cuvée; all are superb wines that will gain depth as the vines age.
VIGNE AU DAIM 2022
Vin de France
100% Chardonnay
100% Chardonnay (13% alc.)
45yo vines on a steep south-facing slope above the village of Gizia (see Le Roi Savagnin). The whole bunches were pressed directly and slowly; the wine fermented and aged for 24 months in old barrels of different sizes. The name 'Vigne Au Daim' is a nod to the deer that roam the parcel, an area teeming with wildlife. The 450m altitude and cool nights bring vivid acidity and length to the wine, a dynamism amplified by the salty minerals of the schist 'carton'.
AMALGAMÉ 2023
Vin de France
35% Petit Béclan, 25% Gamay, 20% Poulsard, 10% Trousseau, 10% Pinot Noir
35% Petit Béclan, 25% Gamay, 20% Poulsard, 10% Trousseau, 10% Pinot Noir (12% alc.)
The cuvée Almagamé comes from the plot Vigne Au Daim in Gizia – Christian and Mathieu took over the parcel from a local elder in 2011 and kept co-planting many different varieties. "Virtually extinct Jura vine" is how Jancis, Julia and José describe the petit béclan in their reference book Wine Grapes. Planted alongside some gamay, pinot, trousseau and poulsard on a steep slope, petit béclan brings rusticity to this unique Jura blend thanks to its small bunches and thick skins. Fully destemmed and co-fermented, aged in 300ltr barrels for 12 months, the wine has a dense and grippy structure with ripe black fruit and moreish acids.
TALLOUP 2023
Vin de France
100% Savagnin
100% Savagnin (13% alc.)
This is the latest addition to the range, made in tiny quantities. From vines planted in 2018 in the lieu-dit Talloup (320m altitude), further along the road that winds down from Vigne Au Daim. Christian and Mathieu recovered a steep coteau surrounded by forest and planted savagnin jaune and vert on grey marls. The juice from the rebêches adds structure, dry extract and phenolics to the wine. The colour is a golden hue. A long ageing with irregular ouillage adds density and complex aromatics. An 'exercice de style' for the two friends, and an impressive wine considering the vines' young age.
PHENOMAYNAL 2023
Vin de France
100% Chardonnay
100% Chardonnay (13% alc.)
90yo vines on red marl over 'éboulis calcaires' in the village of Maynal (south of Rotalier on the way to Gizia). Christian and Mathieu took the plot over in 2005 at the start of their project – it was previously worked by their mate Fanfan (JF Ganevat). Fermentation and 24 months' ageing on fine lees in 10yo demi-muids. This wine has a moreish and voluptuous texture perfectly balanced by zingy bitters. The emblematic and catchy label was drawn by a close artist friend, inspired by Mathieu's hand after an accident. The drawing combines the sensual and feminine side of wine with the rough manual work of a vigneron(ne).
SOUS POIDS 2022
Vin de France
100% Chardonnay
100% Chardonnay (13% alc.)
From the lieu-dit Sous Poids, in the vicinity of Pataratte, in Rotalier – 80yo vines on deep red clay soil over limestone. Vinified and aged in foudres for 20 months before being bottled 'naked', i.e. with no added sulphites – the label depicts a certain vision of naturism or nudism in wine. Beware: mature audiences only! Sapidity characterises this bottling with well-integrated VA that makes a convincing case for umami in wine.
PATARATTE 2023
Vin de France
100% Trousseau
100% Trousseau (12% alc.)
The lieu-dit Pataratte in Rotalier sits on Bathonian limestone (Jurassic period) – the vines were planted in 1948 with chardonnay (0.5ha), gamay (0.2ha), and trousseau 'à la dame' (0.2ha), an ancient and cherished cultivar. Each variety goes into its own Pataratte cuvée; the trousseau is always structured, deep and vibrant with complex wild berry aromatics, a stunning wine.
LA BARDE 2023
Vin de France
70% Chardonnay, 30% Savagnin
70% Chardonnay, 30% Savagnin (13% alc.)
La Barde aka La Bardette is a prestigious lieu-dit in Rotalier and one of the finest terroirs in Sud-Revermont (think Domaine Labet). The 90yo vines are planted on 'marnes du Lias' in which many fossilised seashells can be found. Vinified and aged in 228ltr barrels for 24 months, this blend sees the savagnin spice up the chiselled and beautifully balanced chardonnay, adding impact and depth – a powerful wine perfectly framed by savoury minerals. Of note, Christian and Mathieu also lease a small plot in Les Varrons, on the other side of the hill, next to Domaine Labet. The old vines are planted on shallow soil of red clay over Bajocian limestone, and this wine is bottled under the simple name Cuvée V, keeping the provenance on the down-low.
LA CHÈVRE 2020
Vin de France
100% Chardonnay
100% Chardonnay (12% alc.)
Lieu-dit La Chèvre – 0.2ha of 90yo vines on white/grey marls perched atop a ridge above Rotalier. The low-yielding vines produce few grapes, but the resulting wine has exceptional concentration and depth; the well-judged 24-month élevage in demi-muids helped bring focus and drive to this stunning orange wine (2020 saw skin contact, unlike 2019).