Famille de Boel France is a small family estate owned and run by an enthusiastci and inspired husband/wife team in the high elevations of Saint Joseph. This is a project born from passion, not born from inheriting vineyards or a cellar. Nelly France is from Brittany (France), Arnaud De Boel is from Belgium, and they met in 2009 in New Zealand where their love for food and wine brought them together and quickly found a love for one another. With their two young children Augustin and Margot, the family chooses biodynamic farming and winemaking, and owns vineyards in the Northern Rhone where they live (in Saint Joseph and Cornas), and some land in the Southern Rhone close to the villages of Suze-la-Rousse and Sainte-Cécile-les-Vignes. They are completely dedicated to the celebration of how food and wine come together in so many magical occasions, and strive to make wine that is meant for the table, meant to enjoy with friends and family, and meant for all of the Bon Vivants of the world; something they can pass on hopefully for generations to come.
FAMILLE DE BOEL FRANCE - VIRTUAL VISIT
The following interview was recorded in the fall of 2020 during the Covid lockdown. These videos were intended to promote sales and create requests for samples during a time when promoting new wines was challenging. Although this promotion is over, the videos contain SO MUCH great content that we want to make it available to you.
To watch this Virtual Visit on YouTube - click HERE Pro-Tip: Underneath each video there is an expandable description (click Show More) where you will find 'time-stamps' that are quick-linked to particular topics throughout the video for easy navigation and quick information
The following interview was recorded in the fall of 2020 during the Covid lockdown. These videos were intended to promote sales and create requests for samples during a time when promoting new wines was challenging. Although this promotion is over, the videos contain SO MUCH great content that we want to make it available to you.
To watch this Virtual Visit on YouTube - click HERE Pro-Tip: Underneath each video there is an expandable description (click Show More) where you will find 'time-stamps' that are quick-linked to particular topics throughout the video for easy navigation and quick information
de boel france 'jasus lalandii' côtes-du-rhône
grenache blanc The ‘Jasus Lalandii’ comes from a small 40-year-old vineyard of bush vine Grenache Blanc in the Sothern Rhone valley. After a hand harvest, the grapes were brought to the cellar and saw a horizontal press with whole bunches so that a natural fermentation in stainless steel could begin. The fine lees were stirred often to give great texture to the wine, and since Grenache Blanc does not have naturally high acidity, after fermentation finished, the wine was placed outside for the winter (with one racking after about two weeks), preventing malolactic fermentation to take place, and retaining as much freshness as possible in the finished wine. After a second racking in February, and a small dose of SO2, the wine was bottled in March for an April release. Brilliant aromas of jasmine, honeysuckle, and a touch of iodine, lead to a very round mouth feel that has a mineral driven freshness, a yeasty quality, and overall scrumptious texture. 
de boel france 'aleph' côtes-du-rhône
syrah, grenache The ‘Aleph’ Cotes du Rhone is from the Massif d’Uchaux, a true gem within the wide stretches of the region, where the Massif Central and the Alps come together to create a very special and old area of silica, limestone, and sandstone, as well as some flinty patches. The Syrah and Grenache are hand harvested from bush vines when the balance of sugar and acid is optimal, and ferment naturally; Grenache and 40% of the Syrah in steel tank, and 45% of the Syrah in old 600L demi-muids, and 15% of the Syrah in clay amphora. For the many months that follow, the wine ages here before it is blended and its first small dose of sulfites was added one week before bottling. The wine offers aromas of underbrush, black olives, and dark (but fresh) black fruits that shoot forth from the glass, and lead to a full palate of fruit and minerality with great length. 
de Boel France 'Rue des Poulies' Saint Joseph Blanc
marsanne & roussanne ‘Rue de Poulies’ Saint Joseph Blanc comes from a small parcel of fruit located in the St. Jean de Muzols area of Saint Joseph, this white is a 50/50 blend of Marsanne and Roussanne. The wine is racked 3 times in total before bottling, once after the pressing, once after the natural fermentation is complete, and once before bottling. Aging with the lees, and then some added time aging in bottle gives extraordinary texture and nuance to the final wine. Aromas of honeysuckle, yellow pear, almond, and stone unfold from the glass with a barrage of depth; young and primary, yet quite deep and complex. In the mouth there is freshness, like mountain mist, but thick with the nuance that the nose gave hints of, riddled with fully ripe stone fruits, clean acidity, and a long mineral driven finish. 
de Boel France L'ultime repas
100% Syrah ‘L’Ultime Repas’ is a spectacular display of the passion that led the de Boel-France family to the Rhone. With a sincere love for the Syrah grape, this wine is its ultimate expression from their vines in both their southern Rhone plots (Massif d’Uchaux and Ste. Cécile), and their Northern Rhone land (the vines outside their home in Collines Rhodaniennes, St. Joseph, and Cornas). A long, 2 month, natural fermentation in stainless steel took place before 40% was moved to old barrique for 8-months aging to be blended back together for bottling. With only 2 rackings, the wine was bottled in July and released in October. The result shows a spicy nose of pepper, licorice, and pork, leading to a palate of complex black fruits and also stone fruits, with a supple and velvety texture where bacon, violets, and truffle meet. Decanting is recommended, as this wine will continue to age well with its extraordinary character. |
de boel france 'je vous adore' vaucluse rosé
caladoc, grenache, carignan The ‘Je Vous Adore’ Rosé comes from a small plot of vines planted within the Vaucluse region of the Southern Rhone. A forty-year-old vineyard of Caladoc (a cross between Malbec and Grenache) was hand-harvested and then directly pressed from whole clusters for a natural fermentation in stainless steel vats. In the early spring, the wine is bottled and has a gorgeous pale pink color, and shoots forth brilliant aromas of young strawberries, white flowers, and mineral. The mouth feel is balanced and shows bright grapefruit, white-fleshed fruit, a touch of saltiness, and a kiss of lavender. 
de Boel France 'assiégés' cotes-du-rhone
grenache, caladoc, syrah, carignan The ‘Assiégés’ Cotes-du-Rhone is from a young plot of biodynamically farmed vines that are planted to Grenache, Caladoc, Syrah, and Carignan. The blend makes for a very aromatic and elegant expression of the terroir in the estate’s line up of red wines from the Rhone. Spontaneous fermentation in stainless steel took place to allow the wine to express its true character, and was aged in the same vessels for several months before a spring bottling and release. Wild aromas of violets, peonies, herbs, and black fruits lead to a dense yet quite supple mouth-feel, full of blackberries, fresh plum, and garrigue, packed with acidity and lengthy soft tannins. 
de Boel France 'Rue des Poulies' Saint Joseph
100% syrah ‘Rue de Poulies’ Saint Joseph is a stunning example of how complex, deep, and lovely wines from this region can be. Being a mono-varietal Syrah and not a blend, this mix of estate fruit is from both the commune of St. Jean de Muzols (young vines) and Tournon (a vineyard of about fifty years). Each year is harvested by hand when the perfect balance of pH and sugar development is found in the grapes. The grapes are fermented in stainless steel and see regular punch downs for the first week, and then gentle pump overs until complete. Half of the wine remains in tank, and the other half is placed into old French barrique for about a year until it is bottled. The result shows classic black and red fruits on the nose, as well as pork fat and peppercorns, while the palate follows with a deep core of minerality, ripe and fresh fruit, and is lined with spicy acidity. |
de boel france 'le gras c'est la vie! méditerranée
carignan, grenache, caladoc ‘Le gras c’est la vie’ is a showstopper of a wine, with freshness and vivacity, as well as extraordinary value. Coming from a young plot of vines in the southern side of the Rhone Valley, this is a hand-harvested blend of Carignan, Grenache, and Caladoc (a cross between Malbec and Grenache). A delicate touch and a natural fermentation in stainless steel are the key factors that play into this wine’s bright approach, so that even after only a few months time in tank, the finished wine is ready for the bottle and immediate consumption. A bright and brambly nose lead to a palate that is exuberant with red and black fruits, full of spicy texture, and has just the right amount of meaty grip to play well with foods of many kinds or to simply invite the next sip. 
de Boel France 'les voraces' collines rhodaniennes
100% syrah ‘Les Voraces’ is a pure expression of Syrah from the northern Rhone in the Collines Rhodaniennes IGP, where only stainless steel is used for fermentation, and a short aging to give as much varietal characteristic as possible. This young vineyard is hand-harvested when the fruit has reached a perfect balance between pH and sugar development, and brought in for a natural fermentation. The De Boel family uses a gentle vertical press after fermentation and malolactic usually happens around February. By March or April the wine is bottled and sent to market to show its purest form, with notes of peppery spice, blackberry, boysenberry, and a touch of cured meat. On the palate the wine is fresh, but has deep complexity, showing dark berry fruit, spice, licorice, and great minerality. 
de Boel France 'Ars Magirica' Cornas
100% syrah ‘Ars Magirica’ Cornas is only the first vintage of Cornas from de Boel-France and marks the second use of their brand new plot of fruit, a tiny 5-year-old vineyard straight up the hill west of the town of Cornas in Clarencon. As the only region in the northern Rhone that requires 100% Syrah for the finished wine, these young vines planted in granite soils have a bright future ahead, already showcasing gorgeous finesse brushed atop a dense canvas. 7-year-old barrique and demi-muids were filled after natural fermentation in stainless steel, and aged for around 10 months before release. Although youthful, the finished wine has a dark and complex core decorated by wisps of bright lively fruit. Smashed blueberries, graphite, rose, and soft meaty aromas fill the glass, leading to a thick palate of small berries, minerals, fresh acid, and a lengthy finish of fruit, anise, and rocks that begs for food. |
Le Meilleur de NousFamille De Boel France is a small family estate owned and run by an enthusiastic and inspired husband/wife team in the high elevations of Saint Joseph. This is a project born from passion, not born from inheriting vineyards or a cellar. Nelly France is from Brittany (France), Arnaud De Boel is from Belgium, and they met in 2009 in New Zealand where their love for food and wine brought them together and quickly found a love for one another. With their two young children Augustin and Margot, the family chooses biodynamic farming and winemaking, and owns vineyards in the Northern Rhone where they live (in Saint Joseph and Cornas), and some land in the Southern Rhone close to the villages of Suze-la-Rousse and Sainte-Cécile-les-Vignes. Nelly started Le Meilleur de Nous as a personal side project after one too many congratulations for her ‘husband’s wines,’ deciding to make a wine label that shows the empowerment of women in the world of wine.
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le meilleur de nous 'meres' rosé
caladoc & carignan The ‘Mères’ Rosé is Nelly’s homage to the love between a mother and her children, and chose the Linden tree in the label because it’s the ultimate tree of motherhood, representing fragility but also security, harmony, protection, and celebration. The grapes come from a few small plots planted within the Vaucluse region of the Southern Rhone. Both Caladoc (a cross between Malbec and Grenache) and Carignan were hand-harvested and directly pressed for a natural fermentation in stainless steel vats. Months later, once the wine is bottled and ready for market, the result is a gorgeous pink color that straddles the ‘pale’ and ‘dark’ colors of French Rosé. The aromatics are lovely, full of red berries, red currants, purple flowers, and wet stones. In the mouth, the freshness comes across first, full of bright fruity character, and quickly follows up with salty minerality, texture, and a lively finish that lasts till the next sip. |
le meilleur de nous 'révoltées' saint joseph blanc
marsanne & roussanne The ‘Révoltées’ Saint Joseph Blanc is a biodynamically farmed expression of Marsanne and Roussane (50/50), that was brought to the cellar for a gentle pressing and natural fermentation in steel tank. After completion, the wine was moved into a unique sandstone egg, preserving vibrant acidity while softening the palate and enhancing its refined bitterness. This hands-off approach, with only a minimal touch of sulfur, allows the wine’s purity to shine. The nose is elegantly expressive, offering layers of delicate white flowers and ripe stone fruits. On the palate, the entry is broad and textured, coating the mouth with graceful depth. A subtle, noble bitterness emerges toward the finish, lingering alongside fresh saline notes and a bright, mouthwatering lift. Age-worthy and gorgeous, this tiny production Northern Rhone gem is a true treasure for the table. |