Domaine de Cassiopée
Sampigny-les-Maranges, Côte des Beaune, France
Hugo Mathurin and Talloulah Dubourg
We are delighted to welcome Hugo Mathurin and Talloulah Dubourg to the portfolio with their inaugural vintage from their estate, Domaine de Cassiopée. Following their training experiences with fellow GCS growers, Jean-Marc Roulot and Benjamin Leroux, we were eager to see what this young couple would do when the time came to make their own wine. Their objective was clear: find a place cold enough, that could, amidst the growing challenge of climate change, produce the fresh, light-footed wines they liked to drink.
They found that home in Sampigny-les-Maranges - in the extreme south of the Cote de Beaune with its cooler climate and varied landscapes. After jumping on an opportunity to take over a 5 hectare estate that included a house and eight different plots scattered throughout hillside vineyards and flanked by wild forestland, Domaine Cassiopée was born in early 2020.
They are investing in Maranges, by getting right to work in the vineyards, which has been slow compared to other appellations in converting to a more organic approach to farming. The wines are pure and energetic, much like the young couple who are eager to redefine the Maranges appellation through their commitment to understanding the singular identity of each of their plots reflected by their release of eight individual cuvées. their site-specific cuvées. These are the new faces of the next generation in Burgundy and we couldn’t be more excited to be along for the ride with them.
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Hugo Mathurin and Talloulah Dubourg founded Domaine de Cassiopée in January 2020 after seizing an opportunity to take over a unknown domaine in Sampigny-lès-Maranges that included a house and just over 5 hectares of vines, mainly in the Hautes Côtes de Beaune, Maranges, and Bourgogne appellations. After combined experiences at Jean-Marc Roulot, Frederic Mugnier, Clos de Tart and Benjamin Leroux, Hugo and Talloulah's objective was to find a place known to be cold, which could, thanks to climate change, produce fresh wines that they liked to drink.
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Maranges is the southernmost appellation of the Cote de Beaune and probably the least known. It's divided among three villages south of Santenay and Chassange-Montrachet, and Domaine de Cassiopée is at the eastern end, at the limit of the 1ers crus, in Sampigny-lès-Maranges. Shadowed by the Trois Croix mountains, the villages are caught between hills and valleys and the plots of vines are interspersed with wild forest. Cooler temperatures mean later ripening, with harvests here are on average ten to fifteen days later than in Meursault or Volnay.
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Upon taking over the vines they immediately began to convert to organic viticulture and their certification will be complete by 2023. They are applying some biodynamic principles, for now mostly in the cellar - minding the lunar calendar before racking and bottling.
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In the cellar, Talloulah and Hugo intend to intervene as little as possible, with little or no sulfur used (with a very light dose during bottling). For aging, they are using more classic wooden barrels ranging from 228 to 450 litres as well as experimenting witha 500-litre Italian terracotta vessel.
Wines
Bourgogne Aligoté En Gerlieus
En Gerlieus is located in Chassey-le-Camp, 10 km to the southeast, surrounded by forest. The Aligote vines are 40-100 years old. Made 40% in amphorae/60% in barrel.
Bourgogne Aligoté Mitancherie
A 0.5-ha plot located above Cheilly-lés Maranges, facing east classified in the Burgundy-Aligoté appellation. Planted on a windy hillside which allows for healthy grape clusters, where the soil was considered too cold for wine 20 years ago. Vines are about 30 years old. Produces easy, expressive Aligoté.
Bourgogne Hautes-Cote de Beaune Blanc Les Cotes
One of their two parcels on this site, located southwest of Sampigny on a hillside that faces the village and the Montagnes des Trois Croix. 2/3rd comes from a four-year-old planting on limestone rock parcel, the rest from older vines on granitic rock. This vineyard is located on the site of an old forest and a good example of the uniqueness of Maranges with its woods and isolated plots.
Bourgogne Rouge En Gerlieu
From 0.9 ha in the relatively unknown area of Chassey-le-Camp, planted just next to the Aligoté on a hillside planted northeast (towards Beaune). Vines between 50 and 70 years old with low yields due to their poor health. 40% whole clusters and the couple pushed the aging a little longer than the other reds. Produced a more concentrated, deeper more textural wine.
Bourgogne Hautes-Cote de Beaune Rouge Les Cotes
50 year pinot noir planted on a atypical granitic rock bedrock. They farm 1 hectare of this unique site. According to them, "gives different tannins and grain in the mouth while also a little delicate."
Bourgogne Hautes-Cote de Beaune Rouge Les Paizets
Pinot noir grown on a more classic clay-limestone soil located above their red and white climat Les Côtés.. Vines are around 50 years old and planted at a slightly lower density.
Maranges Rouge Le Bas du Clos
90-year-old vines facing southwest on clay-limestone soils planted just behind their house. This site was harvested first in both years.
Maranges Rouge Les Plantes
The oldest vines at the estate, (110-year-old vines) located in the best-known part of the appellation. According to them, the vines are in very good shape despite the age and produce a complete, ageworthy pinot noir.
Maranges Rouge Le Saugeot
In 2021, the estate recovered a lease in the Cirque de Dezize, under the village of Borgy, opposite the Vignes Blanches des Rouges. This new vineyard is made up of 5 blocks facing northeast on a very steep hillside.