Coteaux Bourguignons Blanc "En Blignée" AOP 2024

A dry Chardonnay from Burgundy, slender in build and moderate in alcohol at 12.5% Vol. Jérôme Galeyrand works, by his own account, with fresh grape juice without technological or oenological processes: no industrial yeasts, no fining agents, no enzymes, minimal sulphur. The wine accordingly shows little cellar imprint and plenty of fruit.

The domaine is based in Saint-Philibert, east of Gevrey-Chambertin, with the barrel cellar right in the heart of the wine village. 5.25 hectares are farmed across the northern Côte de Nuits, from Marsannay through Fixin to Gevrey-Chambertin. 70 percent of the vineyards are farmed organically, 30 percent along sustainable principles, pesticides are excluded, and all vines are ploughed mechanically. Under the Coteaux Bourguignons appellation, this wine carries the vineyard name "En Blignée".

Single-varietal Chardonnay. Vinification takes place in the small cellar at Galeyrand's home, where each barrel is tended individually. The white wines mature for twelve months in oak barrels from French forests, with the proportion of new wood deliberately kept low so as not to mask the character of the grapes.

Pale straw yellow with greenish highlights. On the nose, lemon zest, green apple and white blossom, with a hint of hazelnut beneath. The wine stays taut, the acidity carries it, the fruit remains restrained, and the finish is clean with a mineral edge.

Pairs well with grilled fish with herb butter, goat's cheese salad and quiche Lorraine. Equally good with Comté or chicken in cream sauce.

Galeyrand arrived in Burgundy with no winemaking family behind him, spent eight years in the cheese trade, and bought his first parcel of 0.05 hectares in 2002. Depending on the vintage, production runs to around 2,000 cases, or roughly 24,000 bottles. In 2020 he was awarded a star in the Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France.