Cote Chalonnaise

François Berthenet, a big, bearded bear of a man, is fast becoming one of the star winemakers of the Côte Chalonnaise. His domaine is located in the picturesque village of Montagny-les-Buxy, with most of its vineyards within sight of the winery. The terroir here resembles that of the Côte d’Or, but with slightly lower rainfall.

Made from the prized Aligoté Doré – a loweryielding, more concentrated and aromatic clone than “ordinary” Aligoté – this is bone-dry, fresh and precise, with a simple but attractive nose of citrus and green apple. The palate is characterised by mouth-watering acidity and a long, saline finish. It will age well, gaining weight and complexity. Drink now to 2023.

François Berthenet is a name to watch in the still somewhat underrated appellation of Montagny. This wine, which François describes as “emblematic” of his family’s domaine, is blended from numerous parcels (primarily on clay-limestone soil) around the village of Montagny-lès-Buxy. It is raised exclusively in stainless steel. The nose is explosive and seductive – a mélange of stone-fruit, citrus and white pepper. The palate is taut and mineral but with a hedonistic pineapple twist on the finish. A versatile food wine, it works a treat with prawn and avocado salad. Drink now to 2020.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)

Taut as a piano wire when we first tasted it at the domaine, this super of expression of Montagny has since mellowed a bit. It’s a wine of real finesse, characterised on the palate by bright white fruit flavours, a hint of flinty reduction and a riptide of fresh acidity. The ’17 was raised primarily in stainless steel, but 30% was aged in used barrels. A great match for shellfish or cheese-topped fish pie, it has ample concentration to improve in bottle over the next two to three years.
Drink now to 2022.
Will Heslop, Burgundy Buying Assistant (summer 2019)

From a site with thin pebbly soils, this is the domaine’s most mineral, angular cuvée characterised by bright red and black fruit aromas and crunchy acidity. About 10% of the final blend is aged in new oak, which tends to mark the wine in its youth, but whose influence is now perfectly integrated. A cracking example of what top growers are achieving in the up-and-coming Côte Chalonnaise. Drink now to 2023
Will Heslop, Buying Assistant (summer 2019)

This is more textured than the exciting 2016. The 60-year-old vines and limestone soil impart texture and freshness respectively, and the acidity is most attractive – almost citrus, blood orange, perhaps. A charmingly pure and meditative wine. Drink 2020-2024.

It was a “normal” harvest here this year which, in Jean-Yves’s world, is still a relatively paltry 30hl/ha, due to his scrupulous organic and biodynamic vineyard management. Jean-Yves is increasingly interested in the role and importance of sulphur dioxide in a wine’s evolution. He found that a trial bottling made without SO2 had little expression of the vineyard, yet he finds that adding SO2 too early in the winemaking process makes the wines more fragile and prone to oxidation. A fine range from a reflective winemaker.

There are 20 barrels in 2017 of this utterly delightful, exuberant expression of Pinot Noir. Jean-Yves has removed all of Rully’s rusticity with some subtle, intuitive winemaking; colour and fruit mostly come from infusion, not extraction. The vines are 40 years old, and 100 percent whole-bunch gives a lovely succulence. Drink 2019-2023.

It was a “normal” harvest here this year which, in Jean-Yves’s world, is still a relatively paltry 30hl/ha, due to his scrupulous organic and biodynamic vineyard management. Jean-Yves is increasingly interested in the role and importance of sulphur dioxide in a wine’s evolution. He found that a trial bottling made without SO2 had little expression of the vineyard, yet he finds that adding SO2 too early in the winemaking process makes the wines more fragile and prone to oxidation. A fine range from a reflective winemake

It is such a pity that there is so little of this, as it is a lovely wine. There are only nine barrels (he will have 20 in 2017). Being predominantly a white terroir, this is exceptionally fruity with a most attractive spicy element, and Jean-Yves likes this expression. It has very pure fruit, crunchy but ripe, with just the right amount of Rully firmness. Drink 2019-2024.
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer

Jean-Yves started with a small holding of generic Bourgogne from modest locations, and nothing but a shed behind the house to work in. Through hard work and considerable skill, he built up a successful business, part vigneron, part négociant, with a properly equipped cuverie and cellar to hand. He stopped his négociant activities in 2014, with the cellar paid for and, with so many short harvests, he was struggling to find affordable organic grapes of the quality he wanted. He now concentrates solely on his domaine, which encompasses eight hectares, all certified organic, covering Hautes Côtes de Beaune in both red and white, Beaune, Volnay and Rully. He also has a new, small side product underway with Savagnin, from which he hopes to make some Jura-style wines. Across the whole domaine in 2016, Jean-Yves achieved only 9hl/ha, but there is a sense of relief now that the more abundant 2017 is safely gathered. At one stage, things could have been a bit tight, sufficiently so that there is no Beaune Pertuisots or Volnay this year. Such vicissitudes might put the quality of Jean-Yves’s 2016s into the shade, but this is a fine result for what has survived. Both the red and white Rully represent great value for Burgundy with real personality. What does shine through is that, with his négociant business behind him, Jean-Yves is now where he wants to be, with his own, nicely balanced domaine, free to make the best wines he can.