Milk against mildew: it sounds like a grandmother's home remedy, but it is biodynamic avant-garde. François de Nicolay was one of the first in Burgundy to use milk instead of copper sulphate. With his sister Claude he runs the venerable Domaine Chandon de Briailles, a family estate since 1834 with top sites on the hill of Corton. Under the François de Nicolay name, wines are also made from grapes grown by friends, all of them farmed biodynamically or organically, processed in the estate's own cellar and aged without added sulphur. The horses Diva, Epi, Farandole and Gipsy plough between the vines, while in the vaulted cellar Burgundies mature that show how much finesse is possible when you trust nature.
From wine merchant to winegrower: an unusual path
For years François de Nicolay ran a specialist wine shop in Paris before returning in 2001 to join his sister Claude in Savigny-lès-Beaune. The time they had spent together at the family seat had left its mark, and the wines he had sold in Paris had sharpened his eye. He was particularly impressed by the biodynamic producers. In 2005 he converted all 13.7 hectares of
Domaine Chandon de Briailles to biodynamics, and Demeter certification followed in 2011.
Négociant éleveur: grapes from friends, ageing in the estate's own cellar
What sets François de Nicolay apart from other négociants is that he does not buy finished wines but
grapes from long-standing partner growers who work to his standards. Organic or biodynamic, no compromises. Everything from fermentation to bottling takes place in the domaine's historic vaulted cellar. The
Ladoix "Sur Les Vris", for example, comes from
Chardonnay vines near the hill of Corton, while the
Mercurey "Les Montelons" comes from the Côte Chalonnaise. All the wines are made without added sulphur.
Four horses and one principle
Diva, Epi, Farandole and Gipsy are the names of the
working horses that plough between the rows. Unlike tractors they do not compact the soil, they spare its microfauna and they enforce slow, attentive work. One worker per hectare: in Burgundy, where mechanisation has long been the norm, that is a statement of principle. Against mildew François uses
skimmed milk instead of copper sulphate, a method he was one of the first in the region to introduce. The wines ferment spontaneously and mature in used barrels (no more than 20% new oak), often with whole bunches.
Burgundy without added sulphur
Sans Sulfites Ajouté, without added sulphur, appears on every label of the François de Nicolay range. That demands
flawless grapes, meticulous hygiene and the courage to relinquish control. The wines show an unvarnished side of Burgundy: the
Côtes de Beaune "La Grande Châtelaine" smells of ripe pear and roasted hazelnuts and is mineral on the palate with a salty finish. Anyone looking for
Chardonnay beyond vanilla and buttered toast will find Burgundy here in its most original form.
