France · Côte de Nuits

Louis Bouillot

Louis Bouillot is a Nuits-Saint-Georges producer devoted exclusively to Crémant de Bourgogne, established in 1877 and producing three million bottles annually through long-term grower relationships.

The producer

Louis Bouillot is based in Nuits-Saint-Georges and has made sparkling Burgundy its sole focus since 1877. Boisset acquired the historic brand in 1995 after it had nearly disappeared. Today, the company produces three million bottles annually and is the largest Crémant de Bourgogne producer by volume in the cited material.

Its scale rests on long-term grower contracts instead of open-market fruit purchases, including agreements encouraging Pinot and Chardonnay planting in Beaujolais. The standard Brut brings creamy yeast, citrus, beeswax, nuts, mineral character and green apple. Perle de Vigne turns toward brioche, pear, apple and yellow rose, while Perle d'Aurore Rosé brings flowers, cherry, wild strawberry, rhubarb and very fresh acidity.

Known for

Crémant de Bourgogne, including the standard Brut, Perle de Vigne and Perle d'Aurore Rosé.

Notable facts

The story

The Brand That Came Back

Louis Bouillot was established in 1877, then nearly disappeared before Boisset acquired the brand in 1995. The purchase returned the name to active production as a specialist in Crémant de Bourgogne. The operation now makes three million bottles a year, while Perle d'Aurore Rosé alone reaches one million bottles annually, described as one-third of Crémant production. The sequence is simple: a sparkling wine name founded in 1877, a period when it had almost vanished, a 1995 acquisition, and a return measured in bottles. Perle d'Aurore carries that renewed scale in a rosé with floral, cherry and red-fruit notes.

From the atlas

Louis Bouillot

At A Glance

Louis Bouillot is a Nuits-Saint-Georges producer devoted exclusively to Crémant de Bourgogne, with three million bottles made each year. The range runs from a standard Brut with creamy yeast, citrus, mineral character and green apple to Perle d'Aurore Rosé, a red-fruited cuvée made at one million bottles a year. Start with the standard Brut to meet the house's core profile.

The Producer

Established in 1877, Louis Bouillot built its name around sparkling wine rather than a broad Burgundy portfolio. Today it is the largest Crémant de Bourgogne producer by volume and makes three million bottles annually. That scale can be felt in the range: a standard Brut sits beside more aromatic and rosé expressions, all within the same Crémant de Bourgogne focus. The company is based in Nuits-Saint-Georges, but its fruit supply extends through grower agreements in Beaujolais.

Place

Nuits-Saint-Georges is the company's base, while Beaujolais enters through long-term agreements with growers. Those agreements include price guarantees and joint projects encouraging Pinot and Chardonnay planting. The geography therefore reaches beyond the home address: Nuits-Saint-Georges names the company's base, while Beaujolais helps explain how grapes for a large Crémant operation are secured. The range is built around planned access to Pinot and Chardonnay, not open-market fruit purchases.

Soil And Site

No named soil, slope or parcel is attached to the confirmed Louis Bouillot wines. It would be misleading to turn the Nuits-Saint-Georges base into a geological tasting claim. The useful site distinction is geographic and practical: contracted vineyards in Beaujolais support a Crémant range whose bottle differences are expressed through cuvée style and grape choices, not a single named vineyard.

Story

Louis Bouillot's arc runs from a 1877 foundation to near disappearance and then a return under Boisset, which acquired the company in 1995. The present operation measures that recovery in concrete terms: three million bottles a year, with exclusive focus on Crémant de Bourgogne. The restored brand became a large sparkling wine business whose supply relationships reach into Beaujolais and whose rosé production alone reaches one million bottles annually.

Vineyards And Cellar

Louis Bouillot does not buy fruit on the open market. It works through grower contracts, with long-term price guarantees and joint projects that encourage Pinot and Chardonnay planting in Beaujolais. For the wines, that choice makes those two grapes central to the supply story across a large production base. It also keeps the vineyard work tied to relationships with growers, rather than to a single estate parcel. No vessel, oak regime or ageing length is confirmed for these bottles, so the individual cuvées carry the clearest available cellar detail.

Wines

The standard Crémant de Bourgogne Brut is the range reference. Creamy yeast, citrus, beeswax and nuts set its aromatic register; lifted citrus, clean mineral character and green apple carry it across the palate and finish.

Perle de Vigne moves the range toward pastry and orchard fruit. Puff pastry and brioche lead into Asian pear, crisp Pink Lady apple and bruised yellow rose petal, making it the more aromatic variant.

Perle d'Aurore Rosé, also called Rosé Brut, is the major rosé expression. It is produced at one million bottles annually, representing one-third of Crémant production. Fresh flowers, cherry, mineral notes, liquorice and nutty toast lead into very fresh acidity, tobacco, strawberry, anise and citrus or lees flavours. Further notes bring wild strawberry, rhubarb, pressed red flowers, red currant and red apple skin.

In The Glass

Begin with the standard Brut's creamy yeast and citrus. As it opens, beeswax and nut notes widen the aroma. The palate turns fresh and balanced, with lifted citrus and clean mineral character; freshly sliced green apple remains at the finish. Perle de Vigne follows a different arc: pastry and brioche in the first impression, then Asian pear, pink apple and yellow rose as the wine develops. The rosé shifts from floral, cherry, mineral, liquorice and toast to very fresh acidity carrying tobacco, cherry, strawberry, anise and citrus or lees. Later flavours bring wild strawberry, rhubarb, red currant and red apple skin.

A Bottle To Understand It

Start with the standard Crémant de Bourgogne Brut. It is the core Louis Bouillot expression, and its profile is easy to follow from glass to finish: creamy yeast, citrus, beeswax and nuts at the top, then fresh citrus and clean mineral character, ending on freshly cut green apple. The wine puts the range's central combination of savoury aroma, freshness and bright fruit into one bottle. Choose it before the rosé or Perle de Vigne when you want the most direct introduction to Louis Bouillot's sparkling style.

Anecdote

Louis Bouillot was established in 1877, but by the time Boisset bought it in 1995, the historic brand had all but disappeared. The acquisition brought the name back into active production. Louis Bouillot now makes three million bottles a year and works exclusively with Crémant de Bourgogne. Perle d'Aurore Rosé accounts for one million bottles annually, representing one-third of Crémant production. The sequence runs from a 1877 beginning, through near disappearance, to a 1995 purchase and a rosé label made at one million bottles a year. The dates are 1877 and 1995; the present scale is measured in bottles.

Final Word

Louis Bouillot joins a 1877 name to a three-million-bottle Crémant operation, with a range that separates itself clearly in the glass. The standard Brut brings yeast, citrus, mineral character and green apple. Perle de Vigne turns toward pastry, pear, apple and yellow rose. Perle d'Aurore brings floral lift, red fruit and very fresh acidity. Start with the Brut, then move to the rosé for a more red-fruited register.

Sources

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