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domaine-chandon-de-briailles

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Chandon de Briailles

Overview

Historic estate in Savigny-lès-Beaune run by Claude de Nicolay. Biodynamic. Notable for Corton grand cru and fine Savigny premier crus. Gardens designed by André le Nôtre. Featured on cover of VFTC #121.

Appellations

Key Wines

  • Corton (grand cru) — including parcels in Corton and Corton-Charlemagne
  • Savigny-lès-Beaune “Aux Lavières” (1er cru)
  • Savigny-lès-Beaune “Les Domodes” (1er cru)
  • Pernand-Vergelesses premier crus (Île de Vergelesses and others)
  • Village Savigny and Corton Blanc

Style Notes

Claude de Nicolay runs this estate in a rigorously biodynamic manner. The style is one of exceptional finesse and terroir transparency. The Corton grand cru is raised with particular care and is a benchmark for the appellation.

2023 Vintage Notes (VFTC #115)

Visited January 2025. Claude de Nicolay “very, very happy” with 2023. Chardonnay picked August 31st, pinot noir from September 5th — only picked in mornings due to extreme heat, sunrise to 1 PM. Claude: “one really could not pick after one o’clock each day, as it was not only too hot for pickers but the bunches were actually warm to the touch.” Alcohol 12.5–14% (Lavieres the outlier at 14%). Some wines bottled, others in tank, others still in cask. “It seems like ancient history when the domaine’s wines were among the best-kept secrets in Burgundy; today they are rightfully recognized.”

2023 Scores:

  • Corton “Clos du Roi”: 95+ pts (2040–2100) — bottled before Christmas; only 30 ares; “brilliant Corton!”
  • Corton “Bressandes”: 95 pts (2040–2100) — harvested Sept 7; 13% alcohol; 20% new oak; “great juice”
  • Ile de Vergelesses Rouge: 94 pts (2036–2085) — “absolutely classic example”; 13.6% alcohol
  • Ile de Vergelesses Blanc: 93+ pts (2028–2050) — still in Stockinger foudre; 12.8% alcohol
  • Lavieres: 93 pts (2035–2085) — first bottled (Oct 24); 14% alcohol; very elegant
  • Savigny “les Saucours” Blanc: 92 pts (2025–2040+) — 12.5% alcohol; 11-year-old vines
  • Fournaux: 92 pts (2035–2075) — old vines whole cluster, young vines destemmed

2024 Vintage Notes

Visited January 2026. 2024: ‘a virtual vintage for us’ — biodynamic, devastated yields. Claude de Nicolay quoted by Gilman.

Burghound #102

François de Nicolay described 2024 as “incredibly difficult.” Picked Sept 19–22. Net pinot yields only 5 hl/ha (their lowest ever) and scarcely better in chardonnay at 10 hl/ha. For the first time in their history, combined all Corton vineyards (Clos du Roi, Bressandes, Maréchaudes) into one cuvee. Potential alcohols 12–12.2%; nothing chaptalized. 100% whole clusters for reds as always. De Nicolay: wines are “super-elegant and transparent.”

2024 Scores (barrel):

  • Corton (blend of Clos du Roi, Bressandes, Maréchaudes): (92-94) — “excellent”; supple and surprisingly seductive; powerful, balanced, wonderfully complex finale; “less structured than one might expect”
  • Pernand-Vergelesses “Ile de Vergelesses” 1er: (91-93) — strikingly sleek, precise, markedly stony; oldest vines from 1938; “lovely and well-worth considering”
  • Savigny “Les Lavières” 1er: (90-93) — lovely refinement and underlying tension; “utterly delicious”; overtly stony; “lovely and worth considering”

Note: Meadows’ Corton (92-94) barrel range is from the combined cuvee. In 2023, Gilman scored the individual Corton parcels at 95/95+ (Clos du Roi/Bressandes). Direct comparison is difficult given the different bottlings.

My Tastings

(none yet)

Sources

  • sources/articles/VFTC/VFTC Jan-Feb 2025 #115.txt
  • sources/articles/VFTC/VFTC Jan-Feb 2026 #121.pdf
  • sources/articles/Burghound/Burghound Issue 102 - 2024 and 2023 Cote de Beaune Reds.txt

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