Claudia & Louis-Damien Bouchacourt

Names: Claudia Bouchacourt & Louis-Damien Bouchacourt
Estate / Domaine: Les Chemins de Traverse
Location: La Chapelle-de-Guinchay, Beaujolais, France
Address: 1560 Route des Champs, 71570 La Chapelle-de-Guinchay
Phone: 06 78 37 01 85

Background & Establishment

Louis-Damien Bouchacourt officially started his own domaine in 2014, taking over family plots and expanding with Claudia by his side. Their holdings include 2.75 hectares in Chénas and 1.25 hectares in Beaujolais Villages (both red and white) in the commune of La Chapelle-de-Guinchay. From the outset, they committed to working soils organically and achieved full organic certification by 2015.

Vineyard & Terroir

• Their Chénas parcels lie on granite soils (approximately 1 hectare) and on ancient alluvial soils with gravel and mixed stone content in the remaining plots.

• The Beaujolais Villages plots are located on old alluvial terrains with variable gravel and stone.

• Vineyard density is high (around 7,500 vines per hectare on most holdings), supporting low yields and concentrated fruit.

• Starting practices of in-soil cultivation (rather than herbicide use) were adopted early. Over time, they have integrated vitiforestry, inter-row cover crops, planting of trees and hedges, and even intercropping (vegetables, etc.) to enhance soil health, biodiversity, and resilience.

• Some older parcels (80+ years) were removed and replanted using Cordon de Royat training at densities of ~6,000 vines/ha; by 2025, they aim for 50% of estate under this replanting scheme.

Winemaking Approach & Philosophy

• The Bouchacourts adopt a minimalist, low-intervention methodology: no chemical inputs, no external oenological additives, and strong reliance on natural yeast fermentation.

• In the cellar, they avoid fining and filtration. They work with patience and allow each vintage’s process to unfold with minimal interference.

• Sulfur dioxide usage is minimal—many cuvées are zero added SO₂.

• They see the vineyard as the origin of great wine — “the wine is made in the vineyard” is a guiding principle.

Core Wines & Projects

• Cairn (AOC Chénas) — 100% Gamay; a central expression of their terroir through gentle maceration and aging in a mix of fûts and cuves.

• Azimut Blanc — a white cuvée from Chardonnay, assembled across vintages, vinified in cuve.

• Antécime — their Beaujolais Villages red (Gamay), vinified in short macerations on whole clusters.

• Déambule — a pétillant naturel (pet nat) bottling with lively aromatics and texture, no added sulfur.

• Over the years, they have gradually shifted from traditional appellations to more Vin de France / “Les Chemins de Traverse” labeling, reworking “Made in Chénas” into Cairn, and renaming their red and white Beaujolais Villages as Antécime and Azimut, respectively.

Yields, Certification & Production Details

• Total estate size is about 3.5 hectares, including ~3 ha Gamay and ~0.5 ha Chardonnay.

• Certified organic since 2015; all vineyard practices conform to organic standards.

• Average yields are modest, around 20 hl/ha.

• They report very limited or zero use of SO₂ in final wines.

• The domaine does not use filtration or fining.

• Harvests are performed by hand.