PIERRE et ERIC BARTHE Daddy, how are barrels made? Every successive generation of Boutes and Barthe sons at the head of the cooperage since 1880 have probably asked their father this question. For a long time they received the same answer, because the aim of our ancestors was to build strong, watertight containers capable of holding wines and spirits or transporting all sorts of goods. Our father Henri inherited this ancestral know-how, which is still the basis for our business today. However, in the late 1960s, he had to adapt to a new era: that of the ageing and maturing of wines and spirits in new barrels. From that moment on, barrels were no longer seen as mere containers but were considered as a decisive factor in quality. The question was how to give the wine its fine tannins and lovely aromas during the maturing phase. My brother and I have added our stone to the family edifice and imagined, “designed” and refined the outlines of the Boutes style of today. Wine is our passion and our priority. Our ambition is to offer high-quality barrels. Respect for the winegrower’s work, richness in tannins, aromatic complexity, gentleness and length on the palate… For us, these features of taste and aroma are elements requiring thought and hard work which motivate all our choices in terms of wood selection, methods for ageing our merrains, and the quality of our toasting operations. Boutes barrels are unique barrels with a distinct character. Their style is recognisable to the extent that our clients can do their work in the knowledge of exactly what the barrels will bring to their wine. We don’t see barrels as an end in themselves but as a way of improving the identity and personality of each wine. Lastly, it is a great pleasure for us to work with you all in that magical environment that is the wine business. The nobility of oak combined with that of wine brings coopers and winegrowers from the whole world together in a joint quest: to make a high-quality product in full confidence.
- The Boutes cooperage is a family firm founded in 1880. - It has a total of 85 employees working on four different sites in France: - Our headquarters based in Narbonne (Aude) - The stave yard in Louroux de Bouble (Allier) - The timber yard in Marcenat (Allier) - The cooperage in Beychac et Caillau, between Bordeaux and Saint-Emilion (Gironde). Headquarters and three production sites - 2006 turnover was €16 million (79% from exports) with about 29,000 barrels produced during the year. Breakdown of 2006 turnover
How barrels are made
Stave maker: combining love of wood with a strategic decision Why is it that so few cooperages also incorporate stave-making? - Cooperage and stave-making are two very different crafts, requiring very different skills. On top of this is the considerable financial risk associated with the stave-maker’s craft: estimating and purchasing the timbers. - The purchase of standing trees is indeed a challenge! It is practically impossible to know precisely what imperfections or defects might lie within the timber; the transformation of a log into staves and the yield that can be expected are very uncertain quantities. Why have Boutes decided to produce staves? - We are convinced that monitoring the source of our timber is the first basic step in ensuring the quality of a barrel. This is therefore a vitally important strategic decision enabling us now to guarantee our clients the origin of the staves that we use. The French National Forests Office (ONF), guardian of the French forests that are our heritage, also respects our ecological environment. Every year they calculate and put up for sale a limited quantity of timber related directly to natural renewal rates.
Seasoning the staves: a fundamental stage Recognised as a fundamental and decisive stage in the quality of the timber used in cooperage, the maturing and seasoning operations will radically modify the physical and chemical properties of the staves; in their rough state, they have a tremendous tannic and aromatic potential; with time and the right refining conditions this potential will be released. The tannins will lose their vegetal and austere characteristics and improve in maturity and mellowness, the aromas will be transformed to produce much more complexity and richness. All our timbers, whatever their origin, will follow the same seasoning process in our stave yard; the piles will be exposed to the air, left to the vagaries of the weather for a period of 24 to 36 months, to reach a natural moisture content of around 16%. Staves are then sent on a daily basis to our cooperage at Beychac et Caillau, near Bordeaux.
Our team of 45 coopers work hard to produce top quality barrels; the staves are cut to size and trimmed, then selected according to their physical characteristics (origin, grain), before raising the barrel (assembling the staves into a rose arrangement). The master coopers then begin the preheating process, which is followed by toasting; the quality of the final toast is achieved by degrading certain constituents of the wood, liberating and modifying aromatic molecules as different temperature levels are reached. At the same time, the heads are produced and are fitted once the toasting is finished; the barrel is then ready for testing. It is filled with 30 to 40 litres of cold water, then pressurised to 0.8 bars to test impermeability. Any leaks are repaired. Other master coopers then take over to sand the barrels and put the final hoops in place. They also inspect the barrels very carefully before packing and storage.
Our working philosophy is based on confidence and excellence: we produce a high quality product and control every stage of production from A to Z, as we purchase standing trees, produce staves, season the wood and, finally, manufacture the barrels. You place your trust in us to supply a product that is going to have a significant impact on your wine; we are well aware of the important part we play. At all levels of the company, without exception, we require total and constant commitment from the men and women on our staff. We do not operate like a large-scale financial group or follow the general trend towards uniformity, our philosophy is to focus on human relations, we are all as passionate about our work as you are, and we provide a unique service and specifically tailored production techniques.
Our main concern is to offer our clients tight-grained high forest oak that is slow-growing and controlled. Every year, depending on the volumes put up for sale by the National Forests Office (ONF), we buy at auction almost 10,000 m3 of stave grade standing oak. We organise the harvesting and transport of the wood, which is then delivered to our stave mills. Thus there is total quality control over our supplies and their traceability.
One expects a cooper to express a particular style and character in his barrels; while we do not claim that our barrels are necessarily the best, they are different and they have their own true personality. To achieve this, we use a wide range of techniques which have a real impact on the quality that we offer: - Seasoning the stave wood in the Allier. The Allier department of France has an almost continental climate, ensuring that our wood matures slowly and gradually, thanks to moderate moisture levels and a wide temperature range. - Open air drying. This method gives a good quality of seasoning and keeps the wood’s tannic and aromatic potential intact. Drying in a dehumidification chamber, on the other hand, weakens these qualities. By blowing very hot air across the staves, moisture is extracted, but so too are some very valuable substances. The stave wood also requires a minimum seasoning time if the green, rustic, hard and astringent tannins are to be transformed. In our opinion, 24 months is the minimum time required to obtain the highest quality. - Long low-temperature toasting. We recommend a long toasting time. This heat process degrades deep into the fibres of the wood to bring out the polyphenols, source of smoothness, fullness and roundness. We ensure that the wood does not undergo any unduly harsh treatment during toasting in order to respect the wine as it matures. We also take care to avoid any charring which could dry out the wine and intensify any fiery qualities, thus masking the fruit. - Immersion or the use of water while seasoning the staves Water has always been recognised as a positive and beneficial element in the seasoning process; an alternative to our natural maturation process (by the streaming of rain water) is to use what we call the immersion system. A relatively short period in the immersion tank allows us to preserve the strength and the aromatic and tannic potential of the wood, while giving a better refined and homogeneous texture. In this way we can modify the quality and quantity of the tannins in each of our staves and so for wood of the same origin we can even offer clients two types of product with different organoleptic characteristics.
Our range of barrels will meet each and every one of your needs, in terms of both quality and price. Our wood from France, the USA or Eastern Europe undergoes a strict selection process and comes from the finest timber forests, guaranteeing you the very best of what you have come to expect from a Boutes barrel.
Roundness and volume Design: - We have selected tight-grained timber, from the best French forests, produced by jointing to guarantee uniform and reproducible results. Seasoning the timber: - All these timbers follow a programme of maturation and open air seasoning for approximately 24 months. - At the end of this time, the staves have a natural moisture content that has stabilised around 16%, the level required to produce a high quality barrel. Toasting: - Adapted to the style of your wine, we still use traditional toasting methods, stoking the fire with our own oak chippings. - Toast intensity and time are computer-controlled. Qualities: - The Tradition is a traditional barrel, designed to give roundness and volume, while allowing the wine to express itself. - We bring out the finesse and elegance of the tannins, and ensure the best possible integration of the wood.
Elegance and verticality Design: - We have selected tight-grained timber, from the best French forests, produced by jointing to guarantee uniform and reproducible results. Seasoning the timber: - All these timbers follow a programme of maturation and open air seasoning for at least 24 months. Toasting: - Adapted to the style of your wine, we still use traditional toasting methods, stoking the fire with our own oak chippings. - Toast intensity and time are computer-controlled. Qualities:- The Selection is a barrel that needs time to allow the tannins to merge. - It gives the matured wine great elegance and a wonderful verticality.
Intensity and respect for the fruit Design: - This is an unconventional barrel, produced in limited quantities. - We have tried to eliminate the perception of woody notes in the wine to bring out the fruit and the terroir. - For this barrel, we do not provide detailed information as to the source of the timber, the seasoning process, or the type of toasting, which remain confidential; trust us. Qualities: - The Grande Réserve barrel is not suited to maturing a wine requiring hints of toasted, roasted, fiery aromas. - The main features of the Grande Réserve are its great respect for the freshness, the purity and the liveliness of the fruit, and the volume, the roundness and the length it gives. - wine is able to integrate the wood more quickly, increasing the phenomenon of oxido-reduction, thus producing better balanced wines more quickly. We have produced this barrel in response to requests from some of our clients who wanted to mature their wine in new wood but without changing its aromatic profile. They wanted a wine that was shaped by the barrel.
Spice and structure Design: - We assemble tight-grain timber from high forest oaks in Hungary, Romania and Russia. Seasoning the timber: - 24 months Toasting: - Adapted to the style of your wine, we still use traditional toasting methods, stoking the fire with our own oak chippings. - Toast intensity and time are computer-controlled. Qualities: - This is similar to the French barrel but gives spicier notes, and more pronounced tannins.
Aromatic and economical Design: - We assemble tight-grained wood from Ohio, Missouri and Kentucky.