DOMAINE FRANÇOIS BERTHEAU
Chambolle-Musigny
Domaine Bertheau is a small but fine domaine in Chambolle-Musigny that counts some of the finest parcels in Chambolle. The domaine’s holdings include the Grand Cru Bonnes-Mares, the super Premier Cru Les Amoureuses and a number of other excellent Chambolle-Musigny Premier Crus. The 6.9-hectare domaine is planted with vines that are on average 50 years old.
The family estate had seen 3 consecutive generations of winegrower before first getting international recognition in 1989, when Robert Parker granted the domaine with a higher ranking than Domaine Comte de Vogüé in his Book “Burgundy: a comprehensive guide”. Pierre Bertheau was the proprietor and winemaker of the domaine at the time. François Bertheau worked alongside his father, Pierre, for twenty years before fully taking over the family estate in 2004.
Purist in style, Francois highly focuses on the peculiarities of each of his terroirs, he wants his Chambolles to be identified as such. The wines are classic Chambolles that emphasize finesse, elegant aromatics and silky textures. Typically drinking well immediately upon release, the approachability of these wines should not be confused with an inability to age!
In the Vineyard
As for all great domains the work starts in the vineyards.
Believing that terroir is paramount, François Bertheau thrives to better understand the particularities of each one of is plots and spends most of his time in the vineyard.
Mindful of the importance of healthy soils and biodiversity in the vineyard François follows the principal of lutte raisonée.
In the Cellar
Like so many of his contemporaries, Bertheau practiced what could best be described as a non-interventionist approach in the cellar.
All grapes are destemmed at this address. The fermentation occurs without the addition of cultured yeasts in temperature-controlled stainless steel vats. Very little pigeage and remontage are done to avoid an overbearing extracted style. Aging follows with minimal racking in a cellar where new oak seldom exceeds 10%. The Chambolle-Musigny village is aged in old foudres.
François Bertheau’s objective is to always preserve the genuine freshness that distinguishes the wines from Burgundy’s most elegant appellation.
Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru
This Bonnes-Mares comes from a 0.34 hectare-plot located in the best area of the Cru in the “terres rouges” section, where the soil is heavier and less stony.
Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
Les Amoureuses
Bertheau’s Amoureuses comes from 3 different parcels planted with 40-45 year-old vines.
Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
Les Charmes
This Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru les Charmes comes from 0.66 hectares of vines planted on limestone.
Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
This cuvee is a blend, from 1.1ha of vines, of four excellent lieu-dits: Noirots, Les Baudes (just below Bonnes Mares), Groseilles and Gruenchers (both below Les Fuées, the two plots count some of the oldest vines of the domaine) All very close to one another, Bertheau harvests and vinifies all the parcels together.
Chambolle-Musigny Village
The Chambolle-Musigny Village comes from 2.9 hectares of 40-45 year-old vines planted on limestone.
