Bourgogne Chardonnay "Orane" AOP 2023

A ripe, full-bodied Chardonnay from Burgundy, dry and 14.0% vol. The sweet, fruity richness is given contour by bitter citrus peel and a saline trace on the finish.

The wine comes from 0.42 hectares in Brochon, Flagey-Echezeaux and Gilly-lès-Cîteaux. Jérôme Galeyrand arrived in Burgundy without a winemaking family behind him and bought his first 0.05-hectare plot in 2002; today the Domaine, based in Saint-Philibert, east of Gevrey-Chambertin, farms 5.25 hectares in the Côte de Nuits. In 2020 it was awarded a star in the Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France.

Pure Chardonnay. Vineyard work is organic, partly biodynamic and highly labour-intensive. The grapes were lightly crushed as whole clusters and pressed in a mechanical basket press, with fermentation taking place in tanks using exclusively native yeasts. This was followed by twelve months of ageing in used 228-litre oak barrels with a small proportion of new wood, with no fining, no enzymes, at most light filtration, and no to very little sulphur.

In the glass, a fairly full yellow. The nose shows soft pome fruit, ripe lemons and juicy stone fruit, along with nuts, sweet spices and a note of stony minerality. The palate confirms this impression: juicy white- and yellow-fleshed fruit, extract-rich, full and round, topped by an overtone of piquant bitter citrus peel and, finally, a light salinity.

"Orane" is named after Jérôme's daughter. Vinification takes place in a small cellar at his home, with harvesting done together with a group of well-trained friends. The entire Domaine produces around 2,000 cases per vintage, roughly 24,000 bottles.