In the vineyard
The domaine produces just six individual cuvées, with three main holdings. Its largest (1.76 hectares) is Premier Cru Les Grands Epenots, with 0.69 hectares in Premier Cru Les Rugiens Bas and 0.63 hectares in Corton Renardes Grand Cru. The property also produces a Pommard Premier Cru – a blend of fruit from Les Arvelets, Combes and Charmots – as well as a village Beaune (made with a swathe of declassified Premier Cru fruit), and a Bourgogne Rouge.
The work in the vineyards is extremely traditional, with no herbicides used, although they’ve embraced technology to help monitor weather in their vineyards, which – along with generations of experience – informs viticultural decisions. Harvest tends to be relatively late, the fruit sorted both in the vineyard and when it arrives at the winery.
In the winery
Alexandre – son of the late Michel – took over the winemaking in 1990. He’s changed almost nothing, continuing the traditional style championed by his father and grandfather. He believes that a winemaker’s role is merely to express the terroir best.
As such, all the fruit is de-stemmed and fermented in large wooden vats at relatively warm temperatures. Maceration lasts between three and four weeks, with punch-downs or pump-overs according to the vintage in question. The wines are then aged in oak (with only around 20% new across the range) for a year or so before bottling. The wines were previously fined and filtered, but Alexandre now clarifies the wines naturally.