Grape: Pinot Noir
Region: Loire Valley, France

Distributor's Notes:

"Domaine Paul Buisse’s story begins with Paul Buisse’s great, great grandfather, Eugene, who founded and built the family business around the trade of selling table wine in barrel. John Buisse took control of the business in 1946 with a different approach, one that enabled him to become a pioneer of selling wine by the liter, which allowed for lower yields and higher quality. In 1955, he acquired Caves de la Boule Blanche meaning “Caves of the White Ball,” which is the current winery site and a troglodyte. A troglodyte is essentially a cave dwelling that has been dug into the rock surface of a landscape. Caves de la Boule Blanche was carved into ancient tuffeau, which is a form of limestone. It is likely that these were first excavated to use the stone for the restoration of the Loire castles. Today, the wines are aged and kept in these troglodyte caves, where a constant temperature of 54°F is maintained year round. After ten years of training with his father, fourth generation Paul Buisse took over the family business in the 1980’s. Paul started out as a wine merchant, working to build a solid reputation for his wines. At this time, the sale of table wine was collapsing in favor of the wines of appellation. Wine was now being sold by the bottle instead of by tank, making it necessary for Paul to learn a new trade. In 1989 he purchased vineyards in the Touraine appellation and officially founded the Paul Buisse estate which currently spans over 173 acres. The vineyards that form the appellation of Touraine center around the city of Tours and border the Loire River, stretching from the Sologne region to the edge of Vienne and Anjou. Domaine Paul Buisse’s vineyard location is recognized as being one of the best in the Touraine appellation. A south-southwest exposure and clay limestone soils translate to beautiful, fruit forward wines. Upon his retirement in 2010, Paul Buisse sold the company to his friend, Pierre Chainier, whose family has a lengthy history of working in wine and trade dating back to 1749. Pioneers in sustainable farming, the Chainier family were among the first to employ green practices. Consequently, vineyards are maintained according to a sustainable agriculture philosophy with the overall ecosystem in mind. Minimum weeding and regular scrutiny of the vines keep treatments to a minimum. Furthermore, to control insects naturally and avoid extermination, pheromone is used to treat the vines. Pheromone eliminates breeding by causing a confusion which hinders the males from locating the females. The vision of the Chainier family remains consistent with the mission started by their predecessors— to bring knowledge and experience to their work, embracing their love of the Loire Valley and its soil, instilling a true passion for the job as they write a new page in the history of Domaine Paul Buisse."