Chanterèves
Savigny les Beaune, Côte de Beaune, France
Tomoko Kuriyama Bott & Guillaume Bott
Photo Courtesy of Michel Joly.
Guillaume Bott and Tomoko Kuriyama 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 until they set out on their own.
Tomoko and Guillaume launched Chanterêves in 2010 - as a ‘négociant-vinificateur,’ by farming here, helping out there, buying from wherever they had the opportunity and doing their best to express the place and themselves all at the same time. The couple embraced this flexibility that exists for outsiders who want to make wine in Burgundy but have no way of inheriting great vineyards. And gained attention for their meticulous farming, championing the often overlooked Aligoté variety and making decisions guided by feeling and taste but grounded in science.
“The wines are extremely pure, with an almost naked impression of the fruit. They are focused, transparent and crystal clear palate wise. They seem completely free from vinification makeup...”
— Winehog.com
Their hard work paid off, in 2020, Chanterêvres became a full-fledged domaine of 4.9 hectares by acquiring some vineyards of their own - adding Hautes Côtes de Beaune Blanc, four additional Aligoté vineyards, Savigny rouge and Chorey rouge. Dreams do come true with a little bit of patience!
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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.
Born in Japan, Tomoko was 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 continued to work as the cellar master of Bize until April 2022 when he left to focus completely on Chantererves.
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2020 marked an exciting new chapter for Tomoko and Guillaume, as they acquired several plots with incredible potential - mostly in the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits. Heading north out of Savigny, they have 1.5 hectares of aligoté near the Hautes Côtes town of Fussey, and nearby 1 hectare of chardennay. Here, vineyards sit a few hundred feet above the more storied slopes of Burgundy and are often colder, the geography is varied and often mixed with other farming. The isolation is beneficial, especially against powdery mildew pressure, and the parcel stays healthy with minimal spraying.
Additionally they now own vines in Dessus de Montchenevoy, located near the top of Savigny les Beaune, planted with chardonnay and pinot noir. Along with a tiny plot of red grapes in Chorey climat of Les Champs Longs, and another small plot of Gamay.
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Tomoko and Guillaume work tirelessly year round in the vines - constantly experimenting and building for the future. For their own vineyards, they farm organically with biodynamic methods (not certified) and phytotherapy, approaches researched and recommended by Eric Petiot, a pioneering plant scientist based in Lausanne. Purchased grapes may be sustainable, organic or biodynamic.
As far as spraying goes, minimal copper is used against downy mildew and low-fat milk against powdery mildew, with zero sulfur use. (Why skim milk and not whole milk? It’s because the fat clogs the nozzles of the sprayer). The vineyards are plowed by horse when appropriate.
The soil is tilled from mid-April to mid-July only, with no tilling for the other 8 months of the year. In mid-July, after the last tilling, the manually sow a mix of 13 different perennial and annual plant species to de-compact the soil and build organic mass for better water retention, increased biodiversity and healthier soil composition. The seeds are all certified organic.
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White Wines:
They press the whole cluster grapes with light or no SO2 addition to the must. Fermentation and aging is in 228 liter to 600 liter oak barrels. They carefully examine each appellation/terroir and choose the barrel size for each that they feel is right. There are hardly any new barrels used. They only work with indigenous yeasts and the malolactic fermentation is also done naturally. There is no temperature control in the cellar and usually the malolactic fermentation finishes early spring of the following year. There is only one batônnage done and it is in the July-August after harvest and directly thereafter all the barrels are assembled in stainless steel tanks for a further aging on their lees. There is no fining but occasionally there is one light filtration done one half of the tanks. The wines are bottled in January of February after two winters in their cellar.Red Wine:
All of their reds are vinified, without compromise, with 100% whole cluster. They feel that when grapes are left whole and treated with minimal sulphur use (10 to 15 ppm) the energy of the fruit is most naturally transformed into wine. They prepare a wild yeast starter using the grapes of each parcel 2 to 3 days before the harvest. Once picked, the grapes are put into large wooden vats together with the starter to kick off fermentation. There is no temperature control during this time. There are also no mechanical pump-overs as they like to avoid pumping as much as possible. Punch downs are done only with feet and only until the end of cuvaison. Punch downs are done once a day but there will still be many un-crushed clusters when they press off. The fermentation will be finished either in a tank or sometimes in barrel. The malolactic fermentation, as the sulphur dose is minimum or none, happens naturally during the cuvaison or after the press in the barrels. Their wines without exception are aged in used oak barrels. There is hardly any new oak used. The wines will rest in oak barrels until just before the harvest of the following year and then assembled in stainless steel tanks. The wines spend 2 winters in the cellar before bottling.
Wines
Matsuri Pet Nat VDF
(Domaine) A blend of Gamay situated in Fussey and early picked Aligoté from their 4 parcels in the Hautes Côtes. They ferment together with indigenous yeasts for a week, press the Gamay, and afterwards the fermentation continues in the juice. This technique is called “flottaison;" first put into practice by Daniel Sage in Ardèche.
Bleu Cérise Rosé VDF
(Domaine) A blend of 50% Gamay (from the Hautes Côtes de Beaune, located below the village of Fussey), and 50% Aligoté (all of their Hautes Côtes Aligoté parcels). The Gamay was fermented as 100% whole clusters, within the directly pressed Aligoté juice.
Bourgogne Blanc
(Négoce) 2/3 from Maranges, 1/3 from Pierres Dorées lieu-dit (the southern tip of the Beaujolais, close to Lyon, where the soil consists of fossiliferous Bajocian limestone, comparable to the soil of Chassagne-Montrachet). Aged for 12 months in older oak barrels (228L and 600L).
Bourgogne Aligoté Les Chagniots
(Domaine) Les Chagniots is situated between Ladoix and Corgoloin. It’s a small parcel of 4 ouvrées (17 a or 0,17 ha). Direct pressing, slow indigenous yeast fermentation in Burgundian barrels. Aged for 14 months in three different types older oak barrels (228L, 400L, 600L). Minimal sulfur addition after malos, racked just before bottling, unfined, unfiltered.
Bourgogne Aligoté “Les Monts de Fussey”
(Domaine) The lieu-dit “Les Monts de Fussey” is situated above the village of Echeveronne, just below Fussey. It is at the borderline of Hautes Côtes de Beaune and Nuits but still on the side of Hautes Côtes de Beaune. Faces southeast on a moderate slope, with very stony limestone-marl soil.
Bourgogne Aligote " Bas des Ees"
(Domaine) The lieu-dit “Bas des Ees” is located close to the village of Marey-les-Fussey. It is the closest parcel to the border with Hautes Côtes de Nuits but still on the side of Hautes Côtes de Beaune. Surrounded by pastures and far away from the neighboring parcels, this isolation is beneficial, especially against powdery mildew pressure, and the parcel stays healthy with minimal spraying. Given its high altitude of 470 meters, it is the last parcel picked. This also explains its freshness and tension.
Bourgogne Aligote "Mainbey"
(Domaine) The lieu-dit “Mainbey” is located on the other side of the small valley that separates it from the village of Fussey, at a high altitude of 470 meters. The vines are some of the oldest of the domaine, planted in 1981, and hence the yield is low. Stoniest parcel of Aligoté.
Bourgogne Aligoté "Miarlons du Bas"
(Domaine) The lieu-dit “Miarlons du Bas” is located above “Les Monts de Fussey” and just below “Mainbey.” It is almost as old as “Mainbey” (only 1 year younger) and the only old vine Aligoté of the domaine on a steep slope. As the vines are old, though lower in altitude than “Mainbey” or “Bas des Ees,” the grapes don’t attain high alcohol at the peak of physiological ripeness.
Hautes-Cotes de Beaune Blanc “Les Monts de Fussey”
(Domaine) The lieu-dit “Les Monts de Fussey” is situated above the village of Echeveronne, just below Fussey. It is at the borderline of Hautes Côtes de Beaune and Nuits but still on the side of Hautes Côtes de Beaune. It is the lowest in altitude at 400 meters of all their Hautes Côtes de Beaune parcels It faces southeast on a moderate slope, with very stony with limestone-marl soil. The high active calcium content in the soil is a stress factor for the vines that results in weak vigor and limited yield.
Hautes Côtes de Beaune Blanc “Mainbey”
(Domaine)The lieu-dit “Mainbey” is located on the other side of the small valley that separates it from the village of Fussey, at a high altitude of 470 meters. It is the biggest lieu-dit of the domaine, divided into three Chardonnay parcels and one Aligoté parcel. All of the Chardonnay parcels are in good health with modest vigor. The farming is more or less identical to the Chardonnay on “Les Monts de Fussey.
Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru "Les Morgeots"
(Negoc) Lieu-dit les Chaumes, lower slope, shallow, easily-compacted clay soil. Certified organic since 2012. Natural malo and aged for 12 months in older oak barrels (228L). There is no bâtonnage, no fining, and only one light filtration.
Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
(Negoc) The parcel of their Corton Charlemagne GrandCru is situated above the village of Pernand-Vergelesses at the mid-slope, facing west. It ripens much more slowly than vines facing south, which is an immense advantage in the age of climate change. The long hang time renders this wine’s elegance and poise. Biodynamically farmed, horse-plowed and tended meticulously by a close friend who is also one of the best vignerons of the Côtes.
Bourgogne Rouge
(Négoce) The grapes come from a parcel in Puligny-Montrachet with vines that are about 75 years old planted on loamy limestone soils. Whole-cluster pressing, indigenous yeast fermentation. Aged for 10 months in older oak barrels (228L).
Bourgogne Rouge Hautes Cotes de Beaune Paris l’Hôpital
(Négoce) Pinot Noir from Paris l’Hôpital on dark, sandy granite. The vines are 45 years and above. Lutte raisonnée farming. As the sandy, steep slopes are prone to erosion, the middle of the rows are no-till all year long. This results in small yields and small berries, and a concentrated wine.
Chorey-les-Beaune “Champs Longs”
(Domaine) “Champs Longs” is one of the most celebrated lieu-dits for Pinot Noir in Chorey. Alluvial soil mixed with limestone gravel gives an excellent balance between water retention and water drainage.
Savigny-lès-Beaune Rouge Les Godeaux
(Négoc) Tomoko & Guillaume source these grapes from dear friends and organic growers in Savigny. Les Godeaux is south-facing on a gentle slope, at about 360m altitude. This is a village-level parcel located above and/or next to the 1er Crus (Lavières, Gravains, Talmettes), and just below the forest. The soils are mostly marl, with stony topsoil.
Savigny-les-Beaune “Dessus de Montchenevoy”
(Domaine) The parcel “Dessus de Montchenevoy” is located above the renowned Savigny 1er Cru Aux Guettes, isolated from neighboring vineyards and surrounded by forest, at 350 meters’ altitude on a west-facing slope. This location is doubly ideal with the effects of global warming: the cool air from the forest coupled with the high altitude result in slow ripening. As a result, the long hang time enables the sugar ripeness to synchronize with that of the physiologic ripeness.
Beaune 1er Cru Blanche Fleur
(Négoce) South facing and adjacent to Clos du Roi, the soil is marl mixed with lime stone. Blanche Fleur is said to be a light wine but when farmed by a competent vigneron it reveals it’s potential.
Nuits Saint Georges 1er Cru "Les Damodes"
(Négoce) Les Damodes is one of the prominent 1er crus of Nuits Saint Georges. Situated at the border of Vosne Romanée and diagonally adjacent to Vosne Romanée 1er cru les Malconsorts.
Nuits Saint Georges 1er Cru "Aux Chaignots"
(Négoce) Aux Chaignots is located directly under Les Damodes on a hillside. Its fame is more pronounced than that of Damodes; as a couple of renowned domaines produce this lieu-dit. The age of the vines is identical to that of Damodes.