Benefits of BOSSUET barrels

Tonnellerie BOSSUET is artisanal coopering, the antidote to
mass production. Jean-Louis BOSSUET built his stave mill and
cooperage from the ground up. He travels to the forest to select
his trees and sends his log truck to bring back his purchases. With a home
overlooking the mill, cooperage and oak aging park, Jean-Louis is the man in charge.

Oak for BOSSUET barrels is culled from haute futaie forests in central France and the Loire Valley. These fine grain oak trees average between 200 and 250 years old, sprouting during Napoleon’s reign. By selecting the standing trees and transporting the resulting logs himself, Jean-Louis ensures high-quality oak for his production and lowers his overhead costs. Unlike other mills that purchase varying types of wood for outside sales, the BOSSUET operation concentrates exclusively on high quality oak staves for the cooperage.

BOSSUET oak staves are stacked with wide spaces in a chimney style. Open spacing allows for moisture and wind to access and age the staves evenly. Stacked next to Jean-Louis’s man-made lake, the oak staves benefit from the year-round moisture and micro-flora present in the mini-ecosystem. Harsher compounds and excess tannins are leached out as the oak ages. Brown rivulets running away from the staves are indicative that the process is working.

The art of coopering is alive and well in Jean-Louis’s atelier; Tonnellerie BOSSUET barrels are each made from start to finish by individual coopers. Working with the staves through all stages,
the cooper can fine-tune his technique to bring the best out of each oak barrel. Thin-stave production (21/22 mm thickness) is practiced with minimal planing
of the aged interior surface. The dark, aromatic penetration of the
BOSSUET house toast is perfected through the judicious
use of water during the barrel’s firing.

In France, BOSSUET barrels have found their way into
some of the top Bordeaux wines of Pomerol, St. Emilion,
and the Medoc. Jean-Louis’s house-toasted, thin-stave
Bordeaux barrels are known for their integration, roundness,
rich tannins that melt into the wine, and soft, sweet finish.
If you are seeking high-quality, value-oriented French oak barrels
made with artisanal love, look to Tonnellerie BOSSUET.