New to the US, Gallois-Bouché is already a showstopper.

We felt it in the first taste, a pre-arrival sneak preview with the importer; and it was an absolute hit at last week's Champagne bash, where our very lucky attendees were the first in the country to taste the wine (which just landed at port the day before Thanksgiving).

Gallois-Bouché does things a little differently. The domaine is based in Vertus, a village in the Côte des Blancs largely devoted to Chardonnay. With more than a century of history in the village (including records of its plantings from before phylloxera), this grower is committed to both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. On Vertus’ famously chalky slopes, with vines planted exclusively in the village, they shape a gutsy, delicious range that shows the nobility of both varieties.

The philosophy is unapologetic. It’s what drew us to the wines immediately. Unafraid of varietal choice, wood, or dosage, there’s a quiet confidence here that points to the young winemaker moving this family estate to the forefront.

We dive into the wines and the work below.

When a recommendation comes from Fabrice Gass, it's smart to listen. Fabrice mentored Guillaume Gallois when they were both at Bollinger. Guillaume credits much of what he's learned to Fabrice (and, spoiler: the influence is clear). And, lucky for us all, Fabrice made the intro to their now-shared importer. 

Champagne Gallois-Bouché sits on the edge of Vertus, directly beneath the Gallois family home. The family has tended vines here for well over a century, but the most exciting chapter began when Guillaume returned to the family vineyards in 2007 – the year the estate shifted from grower to full récoltant-manipulant. Working with truly antique equipment (including a 1966 Coquard press still in active use!) he began vinifying the wines in 2013, first selling bottles directly to friends.

Vertus is not a small village. Its northern side is famously chalky; and its southern stretches, with slightly richer soils, are where Pinot Noir can genuinely compete with Chardonnay in terms of potential.

In total, the village has about 540 hectares under vine. Gallois-Bouché farms a tiny 3.4 of those, including top parcels on the northern edge of the village bordering Le Mesnil. All are farmed with rich, permanent green cover between the rows – still not the norm in much of Champagne. At the urging of Guillaume’s mother, Colette, they’ve also planted flowering hedgerows that feed their own apiary, which Colette and Guillaume’s father, Lionel, tend themselves.

Among the plantings, one plot is especially distinctive: a single parcel of mutated Pinot Noir whose tiny clusters produce pink-fleshed berries. The vineyard sits mid-slope above the village, east-facing, and it’s the Pinot that goes into their sole red wine (pictured above). It’s one of the best new still reds we’ve tasted from Champagne. 

In the cellar, the approach is deeply personal – as individual, one might say, as that of his mentor, Fabrice Gass. There are no fixed dates for tirage, disgorgement, fermentation, or élevage; each cuvée is followed and adjusted as it evolves.

What is consistent across the range is a thoughtful use of dosage, which Guillaume uses to draw out the intensely salty edge of Vertus’ chalk; a clear penchant for wood (though not exclusively) for both fermentation and élevage; and the impressive addition of a réserve perpétuelle, begun in 2015, for the non-vintage wines.

All of these textural and gently oxidative tools rest on the sheer verve of Vertus’ chalky character – a push and pull you feel in every wine below.

NV Gallois-Bouché “Préface” Brut Champagne, $65
60% Chardonnay, 40% Pinot Noir. Base year 2022, with 50% reserve wine added from a cuvée-specific solera started in 2015. Partially fermented in old barrel, with the rest in tank; dosage of 7.5g/L. The wine reads full-bodied but dry, with beautiful orchard fruit, hazelnut and a through line of straight chalk.
The label is a map of the village. The shiny dots, when you turn the bottle, mark the parcels that feed this cuvée.

NV Gallois-Bouché 'Nos Terres Blanches' Blanc de Blancs Brut, Champagne, $90
From a blend of very chalky parcels of Chardonnay. Base year 2022, with 50% reserve wine added from a cuvée-specific solera started in 2015. Half fermented in old barrel with full malo, with the rest in tank. Full-bodied, extremely mineral, with smoky, brioche notes.
The label is Guillaume's fingerprint, but also a map of the chalky hillside.

2017 Gallois-Bouché 'La Main Sur le Coeur' Brut, Champagne, $135
80% Chardonnay, 20% Pinot Noir, from Guillaume's best two parcels in Vertus, in that prime chalk-driven northern area bordering Mesnil. Fully barrel fermented and aged under cork, with 1.5g/L dosage. Spicy and red-fruited; extraordinary and complex.

2021 Gallois Bouché "Rouge Garage" Coteaux Champenois Rouge, $150
The still red wine we mentioned above, from a tiny (and in the heart of Chardonnay country, rare) parcel of 30 year old Pinot Noir vines that the family has lovingly maintained. 100% whole clusters see a five day cold soak, followed by fermentation and 5 months aging in used Burgundy barrel. Black-fruited, smoky, a little zip and a little grip; just an outstanding coteaux. Only one barrel produced.

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