2020 Chanterêves Maranges Blanc "Vigne Blanche", Burgundy, France

ABOUT THIS WINE:

This Bourgogne Blanc is sourced entirely from the Village of Maranges, specifically Dezize-lès-Maranges, in the north of Côte de Beaune. White wine from Maranges is characterized by fine gold color and is redolent of white flower scents (hawthorn, acacia, honeysuckle). With age, notes of gunflint or honey give depth to its personality. This wine is smooth and subtle, not forceful but refined in its details. Both reds and whites have won admirers among wine lovers, especially since the Saint-Vincent Tournante of 1997.

The grapes in this wine are coming from relatively deep soils with limestone gravels. The terrain is lightly sloped, with good drainage. Grapes are whole cluster crushed, with a long (6-hour) press cycle, ambient yeast fermentation with "pied de cuve" (wild yeast), aged 12 months in 228L to 600L barrels, no fining, occasional light filtration, minimal SO2 addition only if needed (during aging and before bottling).

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.