Domaine Chandon de Briailles
Savigny-les-Beaune, Burgundy France
Domaine Chandon de Briailles has been owned by the same family since 1834. The celebrated winery has familial ties to Moët and Chandon in Champagne, and now is run by the Count Aymard-Claude de Nicolay and his wife, the Countess, Nadine. Currently, Nadine and their youngest daughter, Claude are in charge, with the help of their cellarmaster, Jean-Claude Bouveret.
The domaine divides its 13 hectares equally between 3 villages - Savigny-lès-Beaune, Pernand-Vergelesses and Aloxe-Corton. Since the 1990s, the domaine has become the prime source for Ile-des-Vergelsses, perhaps because they are the largest landowner of this premier cru, or more likely, because they have almost single-handedly increased the tiny climat’s international name recognition. The wines of Chandon de Briailles are notably matured in the purest Burgundian tradition, with the intention of always reflecting their terroir. The style is consistently generous, sturdy and capable of cellaring.
The main viticultural goal of the Domaine is to attain perfect balance in their vineyards. For fruit at harvest this means a perfect balance of sugars and acidity in every selected grape. To keep the soils in healthy balance, they will plow instead of using herbicides, use compost, instead of chemical fertilizers, and control insect pests with natural biological treatments instead of chemical insecticides.
Vineyard work is rigorous and the couple employs a young, energetic team to debud in the spring and green harvest in the summer. The maturity and acidity levels of each parcel are monitored before grapes are hand-harvested at the ideal moment in the autumn.
For vinification practices, the domaine mixes modern equipment with traditional practices. For pinot noir, fermentation takes place in open cement tanks for about 15 days at a maximum of 32 degrees Celsius. Regular plunging and pumping over of the musts help to extract as much color, tannin and flavor possible. For the chardonnay, he process starts with pressing whole bunches of grapes after harvest, which is then clarified for 24 hours in stainless steel tanks. Temperature control is key. A cool 22 degrees Celsius preserves the white wines’ fresh aromas. Finally, in the domaine’s 13th century cellars, the wines rest in a mix of old and new barrels for 18 to 24 months. On average, wines are racked only twice and bottled by gravity without filtration.