Gems of Auvergne: Domaine La Boheme + L'Egrapille Wine Tasting

Join us this Sunday for an afternoon tasting of wines from Auvergne, a beautiful area in central France with wild rugged landscapes and volcanic formations. Romain Cousot will be leading us in this casual tasting as we explore new cuvees and vintages from 2 highly regarded winemakers Patrick Bouju (Domaine la Boheme) and Catherine Dumora (L'Egrapille).

Nestled in the Massif Central, Auvergne offers a unique combination of natural beauty, history, and culture. Auvergne's terroir is characterized by its volcanic soil, varied topography, and continental climate. The region's unique geology, with its volcanic origins, provides fertile ground for various agricultural products. Auvergne is home to several wine-producing areas, each offering unique expressions of the region's terroir.

The wines of Auvergne reflect the volcanic soil and climatic conditions, resulting in distinctive flavors and characteristics. The most widely planted grapes are Gamay, Pinot Noir, Chardonnay (and Tressallier).

In this session, we explore Auvergne and two amazing wine makers who have put the area on the natural wine map.

Domaine la Bohème

Patrick Bouju is a prominent figure in the natural wine world, celebrated for his inventive, expressive, and often wild wines. His journey began in his native Auvergne, a volcanic region in central France, where he established Domaine de la Bohème in 2004. Bouju's approach is deeply personal and experimental, combining a commitment to organic farming with a restless creativity in the cellar. His wines have become a benchmark for what is possible when a winemaker embraces risk and intuition.

The vines are rooted in volcanic soils, south-east of Clermont-Ferrand. Some of these are ancient, pre-phylloxera even: vines that survived the epidemic of the late 1800s when a species of lice decimated Europe’s vineyards. The couple tend to 8 hectares here, with different plots spread across several communes and a range of grape varieties. Another 1.6 hectares of vines in South Beaujolais complete the domaine.

Back then Patrick was working four hectares of mainly Gamay d’Auvergne and Chardonnay on the slopes of Puy de Corent above his home and cellar. These are old vines planted on volcanic soils the region is known for, and the wines that are made from them are beguiling and compelling. Today he is joined in all endeavours by his partner Justine Loiseau.

The last decade has provided several challenging vintages but despite that their wines are now much more readily available to the public. Faced with tiny harvests Patrick began working with grapes bought from friends and neighbours across France, with a real sense of experimentation and in the spirit of oenological exploration!

Most of these new arrivals fall under their négociant umbrella, but in this vintage they have started blending fruit from their friends with those from a new parcel that they are tending, situated on the Plateau de Gergovie. All the wines are expressive, not only of their varieties but also of the developing style of Domaine La Bohème.

L'Egrapille

Before taking an interest in wine, Catherine was anthropologist, she travels a lot, observes and documents on the life of local populations around the world. Life then led her to Auvergne, where she met Pierre Beauger who introduced her to the wine from which she graduated.

It was then with Manuel Duveau that she continued on her way, that she shares a piece of her life and that they create the Yahu Fatal and Egrapille domains.

From 2019, Catherine continues her adventure with the Egrapille alone, she bought old vines on hillsides in the south of Auvergne. The vines sit on the banks of the river Bansat on sloping hillsides facing west, with a varied terroir of granite, schist, `quartz and basalt. A rich biodiversity for plots surrounded by forests and partially worked by horse and treatments are reduced to a minimum while naturally enriching the soil.

In her cellar in Lamontgie, sandstone jars take pride of place, under the influence of Fred Gounan, and the vinification is done without additives, in the purest respect for the expression of the grapes harvested.

It gives the grape time so that each grape can express itself as freely as possible. The result: delicate, lively, expressive wines.

About

Temple Cellars, 31 Binjai Park
Sun 30 November 2025 (1.30pm - 2.30pm / 3.00pm - 4.00pm)
$30pp for 5 wines
Tickets are transferrable but not refundable