Chandon de Briailles - 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 prestigious family name (they are related to the Chandon family of Moët & Chandon in Champagne). Since 2001 they have been on a journey towards fully biodynamic viticulture, a reaction to what 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 and honest expression of time and place. Gently nurtured in seven-year-old barrels after a slow fermentation, it displays power and elegance from early on, developing richness and complexity as it matures in bottle.