2022 Chanterêves Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune Blanc "Les Monts de Fussey" , Burgundy, France

ABOUT THIS WINE

They press the whole cluster grapes with light or no SO2 addition to the must. Fermentation and aging is in 228 liter to 600 liter oak barrels. They carefully examine each appellation/terroir and choose the barrel size for each that they feel is right. There are hardly any new barrels used. They only work with indigenous yeasts and the malolactic fermentation is also done naturally. There is no temperature control in the cellar and usually the malolactic fermentation finishes early spring of the following year. There is only one batônnage done and it is in the July-August after harvest and directly thereafter all the barrels are assembled in stainless steel tanks for a further aging on their lees. There is no fining but occasionally there is one light filtration done one half of the tanks. The wines are bottled in January of February after two winters in their cellar.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

Chanterêves is a husband and a wife team launched in 2010 by two oenologists, Tomoko Kuriyama and Guillaume Bott. They are so called ‘négociant-vinificateur’ meaning that they buy grapes from winegrowers and vinify them to make their own wines.

Born in Japan, Tomoko has been passionate about food and wine from a young age. Her maternal grandmother was a cooking teacher and had her own cooking show on a national television channel in Japan. Her father was always a fan of good Bordeaux and Burgundy so wine was very much on her radar from an early age. Tomoko's professional career began in Germany. She apprenticed under Paul Fürst, Peter Jakob Kühn, and Hermann Schmoranz of Weingut Georg Breuer, and obtained an engineering degree in oenology & viticulture from the Geisenheim University. Until the launch of Chanterêves she was the production manager at Weingut Altenkirch in Rheingau, specializing in Riesling and Pinot Noir. She moved to Burgundy in 2011.

Guillaume was born in Dijon and grew up in Beaune. Being a Burgundian, the passion for wine came naturally to him. When it came time to choose a path in school he chose the Lycée Viticole of Beaune. Guillaume's first job was as the right hand of Gérard Boudot of Domaine Etienne Sauzet in Puligny-Montrachet. During his seven years at Sauzet, Guillaume gained experienced in vinifying the great Chardonnay terroirs of Burgundy. In 2002, in order to expand his expertise to Pinot Noir, he moved to Domaine Simon Bize et Fils in Savigny-les-Beaune to assist Patrick Bize. Guillaume continues to work as the cellar master of Bize to this day.

Guillaume and Tomoko first met in 2005 when she came to Simon Bize as a harvest intern. Their passion for Burgundy and winemaking philosophies are so aligned that it was only a matter of time till they set out on their own.