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[message]Claude Nicolay
Claude Nicolay & her brother, François, are the current generation in a family estate that was founded in 1834. They have small plots totalling 34 acres dotted throughout some of Burgundy’s biggest names including; Savigny-lès-Beaune, Pernand-Vergelesses and Aloxe-Corton. Claude and François have not rested on the prestigiousfamily name (they are related to the Chandon family of Moët& Chandon in Champagne). Since 2001 they have been on ajourney towards fully biodynamic viticulture, a reaction towhat they felt was the destruction of vineyards in Burgundy through profuse spraying with chemical pesticides and herbicides. What you get here is not just a Chardonnay from the exalted Grand Cru slopes of Corton-Le Charlemagne, but a pure andhonest expression of time and place. Gently nurtured inseven-year-old barrels after a slow fermentation, it displays power and elegance from early on, developing richness and complexity as it matures in bottle.