DOMAINE CHANTAL LESCURE

Nuits-Saint-Georges, Burgundy

Domaine Chantal Lescure is situated in the heart of the Côte des Nuits, on the main drag of Nuits-Saint-Georges. Established in the mid-1970s by Chantal Lescure and Xavier Machard, the domaine and subsequent negociant arm, Chantal Lescure Selection, has amassed an impressive portfolio of terroirs in almost all of the important villages in the Côte des Nuits and Côte de Beaune. François Chaveriat assumed the position of director in 1996 and immediately stopped all herbicides and chemical inputs in the vines. His philosophy is simple: better vines make better vines, and that interfering with the natural process only limits the ability of the winery to showcase exceptional terroir.

Along with the owners, François has continued to gradually add parcels, all while refining an approach in the vines and cellar that is decidedly hands-off. The wines are certainly made with intention, but they offer a rusticity and tenderness that invokes a different, simpler time in Burgundy. Grapes are always destemmed, generally age for around 14-15 months, and then in bottle for an additional 18 months before release. The wines are never fined or filtered, and SO2 additions are kept below 40ppm.

Recently, the domaine launched Chantal Lescure Selection, a negociant project aimed at producing wines from areas the domaine didn’t already own vines, including Marsannay and Savigny-lès-Beaune. These grapes are sourced from trusted growers who farm according to the same principles as the estate vines, including when it comes to yield management and organic viticulture. The wines are all vinified in the manner and in the same cellar as the estate wines.