"91 Points - Allen Meadows, Burghound.com
Outstanding - Sweetspot
A slightly fresher and more expressive nose presents its array of cool pear, apple, citrus and a broader range of floral elements. The slightly more concentrated middle weight flavors possess a lovely texture while terminating in a clean, bright, notably dry and solidly persistent finale. I like the balance and this is compact enough to warrant at least a few years of keeping and it should repay up to a decade of it."
This is an iconic 7.5 hectare domaine and we are delighted to secure an allocation of their impeccable wines. Michel Niellon began working with his father in the 1950s and was joined by his son-in-law, Michel Coutoux, in 1991 and grandson, Matthieu Bresson more recently. From their smart, new cellars on the outskirts of the village, they are making some of the finest wines in the Côte de Beaune.
They seek to preserve acidity and are often one of the first growers to begin picking. However, their style remains generous, ripe and concentrated, whilst retaining poise and precision. Of note:- Fermentation begins in stainless steel tanks and then oak barrels for malolactic fermentation and maturation – 25-30% new oak. They like solids and only lightly settle the juice. No bâtonnage and no racking until bottling.
Chassagne-Montrachet Blanc 1er Cru Les Champgains 0.5 hectares planted in 1988.
Allen Meadows, Burghound.com
Michel Niellon's son-in-law, Michel Coutoux, who has been at the domaine since 1990, is easing out of the day-to-day operations. He is doing so in favor of his children, one of whom, Lucie, has assumed responsibility for the vinification of the reds. She also presented the whites and noted "we thought that the hot and relatively dry growing season that 2023 gave us would produce wines in the style of say 2020 or 2022 but that's not the case. There wasn't much disease pressure to speak of save for a minor attack of mildew and oidium but nothing like what we endured in 2024. We picked between the 2nd and 7th of September and the chardonnay was basically spotless so we did no lees settling as we didn't see the need. Yields were quite good at between 55 and 60 hl/ha with solid potential alcohols that ranged between 13 and 13.5%. The acidities though were average at best as the post-malo pHs came in between 3.4 and 3.6, which is frankly higher than normal though no cause for concern. We had no difficulties with either fermentation and did no lees stirring as we felt the wines were already rich enough. For the same reason, we did some stainless-steel aging for the entry-level wines. As to the wines, in my view their best attribute is just how well-balanced they are because while they are certainly ripe, they're also fresh, transparent and already a pleasure to drink."
The domaine is now employing the Diam brand composite cork for all of the whites except for the Chevalier and the Bâtard. Lastly, Coutoux noted that the 2023s were bottled in August 2024
