Pierre Guyot first began producing wine at Lamé-Delisle-Boucard in 1869. The business has always been very much a family affair, with Pierre’s son-in-law Jules Lamé pioneering grafting vitis vinifera vines onto American Rootstock after the phylloxera epidemic. Originally, their wines were sold in bulk to local négociants, but the celebrated 1947 vintage inspired the family to begin bottling and selling wine under their own label; the family were perhaps fortunate that the two following vintages, 1948 and 1949, were also both excellent. Now with Pierre’s great, great grandchildren at the helm, Philippe and Stéphanie Boucard, Lamé-Delisle-Boucard is highly regarded for its superb, mature reds, which are aged in the estate’s beautiful tuffeau cellars under the cuverie.

Over five generations, unlike many other French estates, Lamé-Delisle-Boucard has not been split up by the Napoleonic inheritance laws and has steadily increased in size to 44 hectares. The average age of vines is 35-40 years with their vineyards being planted over four communes: Ingrandes-de-Touraine, Saint Patrice, Restigné and Benais, with a considerable diversity of soil types Cabernet Franc represents 85% of their vineyard holdings, with 15% planted to Cabernet Sauvignon.

The flatter vineyards consist of ‘sables’ and ‘graviers’, whereas the côteaux are either ‘argilo-silicieux’ or ‘argilo-calcaire’ (known locally as Aubois or Tuf). From these low-lying vineyards, the family produce a perfumed, elegant cuvée called “Les Chesnaies”, which is vinified in stainless steel vats in order to preserve the youthful fruit. The Vieilles Vignes cuvée and Cuvée Prestige are vinified in tronconique wooden vats, before ageing in old oak foudres. These wines, as a result, have more depth, complexity and structure.