Domaine Chanson, Rully, Burgundy, France 2018

Domaine Chanson owns 43 hectares of Premier and Grands Cru vineyards in Côte de Beaune, including Santenay, Chassagne Montrachet, Puligny Montrachet, Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune, Pernand Vergelesses and Corton. The Chanson estate produces over a quarter of its own fruit requirements; the rest of the grapes are sourced from carefully selected growers. The domaine was purchased by the Bollinger family in 1999 and their investments have significantly improved the quality of the wines in recent years. A modern winery was built in Savigny-lès-Beaune in 2010.

At the heart of the domaine is the medieval Bastion de l’Oratoire, classified as a historical monument and one of only five such bastions remaining in Beaune. Built as a defence tower, its walls are eight metres thick, ensuring constant temperature and humidity, making it an ideal cellar. It has been used as such ever since the domaine was founded in 1750. Today, the bastion has four levels, the fourth built in 1826, all entirely dedicated to wine ageing. The first three house red wines, with a different vintage on each floor, and the fourth floor accommodates white wines.

This Rully comes from the hill in the heart of Côte Chalonnaise, boasting a mix of clay and limestone soil – perfectly suited for Chardonnay. As for the 2018 vintage, a very rainy winter was followed by a hot April, a very cold May, and then steady heat across Burgundy from June. Very hot spells caused a lack of water, compensated for by the clay soils in plots such as Rully. The harvest began at the end of August and the grapes were in very good health, producing fresh and tense wines with beautiful fruit.

domaine-chanson.com