Bouchalès

[1] Old vine plantings of Bouchalès that more than a 100 years exist at Château de la Vieille-Chapelle in the Fronsac AOC located just northwest of the city of Libourne in the "Right Bank" region of Bordeaux.

However, Master of Wine Jancis Robinson notes that many Vitis vinifera grapevines resemble boxes, and since Bouchalès is a common surname in the Lot-et-Garonne region, it is likely that the grape took on the name of one of its propagators.

Vineyards in Agen, Auch, Estillac, Saint-Barthélemy-de-Bellegarde, and Tonneins were particularly noted for Bouchalès growing well there and producing deeply colored "black wine" of good quality.

Wine expert Jancis Robinson and others have speculated that these vines survived the phylloxera epidemic due to the frequent winter flood irrigation of the vineyards that was a tradition of Libournais viticulture for many centuries.

This flooding with waters from the nearby river Dordogne would disrupt the life cycle of the phylloxera louse by inhibiting its growth during its nymph stage.

The ancient Libournais tradition of flooding the vineyards in winter may have helped century-plus old vines of Bouchalès survive the phylloxera epidemic, due to the flood waters disrupting the nymph stage (pictured right) in the life cycle of the phylloxera louse.
Southwest France where the Bouchalès grape is found. Most of the plantings today are along the Garonne river.