CHANDON DES BRIAILLES
Savigny-Les-Beaune
Burgundy
Dating back to 1834, Chandon des Briailles has an admirable history and remains to this day a true family domaine. The estate has been passed down through generations of the de Nicolays’, right down to its current guardians, brother and sister team François and Claude.
Somehow, despite this impressive legacy, it remains a relatively well-kept secret in the wine world. For those in the know, Chandon des Briailles produces wines of exceptional quality year after year which can be incredibly rewarding to age.
The 13.7 hectares of vineyards are dotted throughout the villages of Savigny-lès-Beaune, Pernand and Aloxe, where the iconic Grand Cru’s of Corton Clos du Roi, Bressandes and Maréchaudes can be found. Organic agriculture has been practiced here since the late 80s, when Nadine, François and Claude’s mother moved to eliminate any chemical treatments of the vineyards. Since then, in those forty-odd years, the domaine switched entirely to biodynamics, achieving the certification in 2012. Generally, when most people mention biodynamics, they are referring to the farming approach in the vineyard, but it's a completely separate certification for the cellar. Today, their holdings are ploughed exclusively by horse and are focusing on replacing sulphur sprays with the use of skim milk in the fight against powdery mildew.
The other major recent change introduced by the brother-and-sister duo is the regular production of bottlings without any added sulphur. While the domaine has been long experimenting with the odd san souffre cuvée for over fifteen years, since 2017 there are now several references (which vary from year to year) which are bottled completely sulphur-free.
Historically, in the cellar, François has been using 100% whole clusters but had to adapt the percentage of whole bunch fruit according to the wine and vintage since 2011. If possible, however, he still favours the use of 100% whole clusters. Fermentations start naturally and take place mostly in concrete, with the exception for the grand cru’s, which are fermented in wood instead. All wines are raised in a combination of used barrels, opting always for a much higher percentage of neutral oak over new.
Savigny-les-Beaune Blanc, Saucours
Vintage 2021
Style White
Region Savigny-les-Beaune, Burgundy
Varieties Chardonnay
ABV
Soils Clay, limestone, white marls
Farming Biodynamic
Winemaking From a plot plated at younger vines (7-10 years old). This small 0.6ha lieu dit is located in the south of Savigny-les-Beaune. The hill is east facing and it is chilled by the light winds coming from Savigny’s
valley. The white marl soils make the perfect terroir for Chardonnay. Fermentation and maturation takes place in 228L barrels and demi-muids (600L). Ageing on fine lees in old barrels for 15 to 18 months.
Tasting Note This wine is fresh yet concentrated, it has a lovely limpid quality and well-defined aromatics. Notes of yellow apple, pear and fresh almonds. A wet stone minerality and seducing white flower aromas. This may be enjoyed in its youth though will also develop graciously, for up to 10 years.
Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Blanc, Île des Vergelesses
Vintage 2021
Style White
Region Pernand-Vergelesses, Burgundy
Varieties Chardonnay
ABV
Soils Clay, limestone
Farming Biodynamic
Winemaking Île des Vergelesses is situated right in the heart of the mid slope of the sea of the Vergelesses, just below Savigny 1er Cru Aux Vergelesses and Pernand 1er Cru Les Vergelesses. This is an exceptional terroir, the soil is well drained with a perfect balance between limestone gravel and iron-rich clay. The vines have been planted between 198
5 and 1991 and the vineyard benefits from an easterly exposure, which help to make this such a longlived Chardonnay. Direct press and fermented in used barrels using indigenous yeasts. Racked once and returned to barrel to age for 18 months on fine lees.
Tasting Note A delightful nose of white flowers and lemon peel that gently unfolds in the glass. As it opens up offers a frutier bouquet with pear and pineapple. The palate is well balanced, medium-bodied, layered and concentrated yet lifted by its bright and mineral finish.
Corton Grand Cru
Vintage 2021
Style White
Region Corton, Burgundy
Varieties Chardonnay
ABV
Soils Red clay, white marl, limestone
Farming Biodynamic
Winemaking Fruit comes from a mixture of Corton Bressandes (the upper part of the slope), Corton Chaumes and Corton Renardes. The particularity of this cuvée is to be planted on soils normally destined for Pinot Noir. Fermented and aged in barrels, though wihtout the use of any new oak and avoiding stirring the fine lees during the ageing period. This was an extraordinary vintage with healthy crops and great concentration. As such this was produced and bottled fully sans soufre.
Tasting Note The particularity of this cuvée is to be planted on soils normally destined for Pinot Noir. As a result it is rather full, with evoking white and yellow fleshy fruit, complemented by a delicate hint of spice and vanilla from the oak. Bold and expansive on the attack yet impressively focussed on the finish.
Savigny-les-Beaune, Aux Fourneaux
Vintage 2022
Style Red
Region Savigny-les-Beaune, Burgundy
Varieties Pinot Noir
ABV
Soils Red clay, limestone
Farming Biodynamic
Winemaking Aux Fourneaux is the domaine blended Savigny. It is a mix of villages and premier cru (for about two thirds) and it was first produced in 2018. Vines her are approximately 60 years old. 2022 was a generous, or rather, “normal” vintage and the yields were between 30-35hl per hectare for the Pinot.
Tasting Note Ripe and deep, it offers glossy red fruit and distinct earthy and floral tones. Vibrant and mouth filling, displaying excellent balance and length on the palate. Considered its high percentage of premier cru juice, this delivers exceptional quality for a village level Savigny.
Savigny Les Beaune 1er Cru, Lavières
Vintage 2022
Style Red
Region Savigny-les-Beaune, Burgundy
Varieties Pinot Noir
ABV
Soils Red clay, limestone
Farming Biodynamic
Winemaking The vineyard is named Laviéres originates from the word Lave, referring to flat sheets of limestone that were traditionally used to tile roofs in the region. This vineyard is south facing and located mid-slope, right underneath Talmettes. There is a shallow 30cm layer of red clay on the surface, and the traditional limestone sheets lie underneath. Vines are an average age of 60 years old.
Tasting Note The limestone present in the soil gives wines made from this vineyard a distinctive minerality and saline character. The wine is headily floral with a fine structure and ripe tannins. There is a beautiful underlying tension culminating in a balanced, refined and subtly long finish. It has both the complexity and finesse to be drunk in its youth but it is also possible to cellar for 10 to 20 years.
Pernand Vergelesses 1er Cru, Les Vergelesses
Vintage 2022
Style Red
Region Pernand-Vergelesses, Burgundy
Varieties Pinot Noir
ABV
Soils Red clay, limestone
Farming Biodynamic
Winemaking This comes from a site within an ancient Roman road that connected Beaune to Vergy. This climat in the lower side of the road, lies under Île and next to Fichots. Mainly deep red clay soils, but darker than in Fourneaux as there’s more iron. Usually one of the latest parcels to be picked (alongside those for Fourneaux).
Tasting Note A subtle hint of menthol lingers amid ripe aromas of black cherry, plum and an earthy quality. More airy and beautifully perfumed, without any reduction or smokey tones, it is silky and intense. Though slightly less mineral-driven, it still offers great depth and persistence. Wonderful texture and tannins that show almost no dryness, it ends long and precise. Very approachable even in its youth.
Pernand Vergelesses 1er Cru, Île des Vergelesses
Vintage 2022
Style Red
Region Pernand-Vergelesses, Burgundy
Varieties Pinot Noir
ABV
Soils Clay, limestone
Farming Biodynamic
Winemaking The vines are found mid-slope on a slight incline, east facing and the soil is shared between clay and limestone in medium deep ground, making this an exceptional terroir for Pinot Noir. For this reason, many argue this lieu dit should be classified as a Grand Cru. Today a mix of vine ages can be found here, though the oldest date from 1938.
Tasting Note Great aromatic finesse shines through a standout floral bouquet of violet, rose, lilac and a medley of red berries. This is followed by a more vibrant expanse of red fruit, which unfolds gracefully across the palate with remarkable depth and a pronounced minerality. Lifted and persistently fresh on the finish, it carries an attractive red pepper nuance and mouthwatering citrus bitters. It will benefit from a few years in the cellar to fully reveal its potential.
Aloxe-Corton 1er Cru, Les Valozières
Vintage 2022
Style Red
Region Corton, Burgundy
Varieties Pinot Noir
ABV
Soils Clay, limestone
Farming Biodynamic
Winemaking A 1er cru topographically well placed, beneath Bressandes and next to the Paulands, both Grands Crus. The Val-des-Osiers, stands for ‘the valley of the willow trees’. The soil is rich in clay providing the necessary moisture for the willow trees to grow in.
By means of horse ploughing, they have achieved greater drainage with less compaction giving birth to characterful wines from this appellation. It is also a fairly hot spot here, and generally one to be picked early.
Tasting Note This wine displays wild and complex aromas, typical of its terroir. It is full-bodied and powerful, offering great density and serious, darker-toned flavours. Think wild game, plum, black cherry and wet forest floor. Textured tannins will benefit from a few years of cellaring.
Corton Grand Cru, Maréchaudes
Vintage 2022
Style Red
Region Corton, Burgundy
Varieties Pinot Noir
ABV
Soils Gravel, clay, limestone
Farming Biodynamic
Winemaking Made from the 0.40 hectares of 40 year old vines planted in the deeper soils at the base of the slope beneath Bressandes, on the border with Ladoix. Les Maréchaudes refers to and old French word translating to ‘marshland’. In this grand cru we find fragments of limestone bedrock on the topsoil, bringing freshness and finesse to the wine.
Tasting Note This is rare Corton that can drink well in its youth but can also benefit from 10 to 20 years of ageing. It is both fresh and elegant, with a medium body and bright red fruits framed by its fine grained, very approachable tannins.
Corton Grand Cru, Les Bressandes
Vintage 2022
Style Red
Region Corton, Burgundy
Varieties Pinot Noir
ABV
Soils Red clay, white marl, limestone
Farming Biodynamic
Winemaking From nearly 1.5 hectares spread across four plantings - two near the village of Aloxe and two closer to Ladoix - all situated mid-slope with an east-facing exposure. The vines have an average age of 35 years, their roots anchored in iron-rich red clay. In the case of those closer to Ladoix, they are planted on Comblanchien limestone, resulting in a wine with a an almost Côte-de-Nuits character. This cru, one of the most iconic in the Corton AOC, also benefits from a slightly warmer microclimate than the surrounding parcels.
Tasting Note A subtle yet perceptible hint of wood introduces an explosion of black cherry, blackberry, plum and orange peel, followed by a delicately perfumed bouquet of peonies, counterbalanced with firmer notes of smoke and cedar. Year after year, Bressandes has nice density and generous structure, with a finish that hangs on the palate.
Compact now, this wine will benefit from several years of ageing before revealing its full potential and develop from the current fruit-forward profile. Safe to say that Bressandes along with Île des Vergelesses are the flagship wines of the domaine.
Corton Grand Cru, Clos du Roi
Vintage 2022
Style Red
Region Corton, Burgundy
Varieties Pinot Noir
ABV
Soils Clay, sand, limestone
Farming Biodynamic
Winemaking Chandon farm the highest parcel in Clos du Roi (approx 350mt), right next to that of Hospices de Beaune. We are very close to Corton-Charlemagne on the hillside, on a steep slope and where the soils are poorer and lighter, containing a little sand too. It is also a late ripening terroir, which through its ability to drain, allows the grapes to avoid rot during the last phase of ripening.
Tasting Note True to its name, this wine exudes a regal restraint, yet nothing is missing. The nose leans perhaps more toward red fruit than black, showing less immediate opulence compared to Bressandes, yet it captivates with an elegant mineral streak and a delicate peppery, floral quality.
Vin de Liqueur Pousse au Crime
Vintage 2013
Style Sweet Fortified
Region Savigny-les-Beaune, Burgundy
Varieties Pinot Noir
ABV
Soils Red clay, limestone
Farming Biodynamic
Winemaking In 2013, the domaine’s Savigny plot of Les Laviéres Savigny was severely affected by frost, as such the decision was made to use the little grapes that survived to make their own Marc de Bourgogne. This is aged for 4 years in oak barrels before release.
Tasting Note