CLAIRE NAUDIN
Twenty-five years ago, Claire Naudin returned to her family vineyard after obtaining degrees in Oenology and Agronomy. Her father Henri ran a successful estate, but her leadership and sensitivity have coaxed mythical wines from their unsung and grandiose vineyards alike. Her husband Jean-Yves Bizot is equivalently renowned, their wines each carrying a signature reverence and serenity. Can you imagine a more compelling dinner table?
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Located in the town of Magny-lès-Villers between the Hautes-Côtes de Beaune and Hautes-Côtes de Nuits, the modest 22ha estate spans several communes. Although she has vineyards in Echézeaux and Nuits-St-Georges, it’s the lesser-known sites that really steal the show. The collection of wines known colloquially as ‘The Flower Series’, named for the wildflowers that grow in each parcel and whose illustrations adorn the labels, offer superb value considering their depth and detail.
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Her Aligoté, Le Clou 34, is also the stuff of lore. Inspired by some extravagantly old plots, she has taken Burgundy’s unloved white grape and guided it towards gossamer perfection. I first tasted this wine at Larry’s in Montreal several years ago and have been haunted ever since. It has the spectral beauty and regality of ancient mythical warrior queens. She seems to be the benevolent caretaker of fruit desperate to fulfil some higher purpose: Art perhaps, but at least sustenance for the body and soul.
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She farms her vineyards organically but doesn’t want to be bogged down by the rigidity of formal certifications. She has eschewed synthetic chemicals, opting for a more subtle approach. After several meagre harvests (frost, hail, wind), she has supplemented her production by buying additional fruit from like-minded grape growers. Her Gamay and Pinot from this range are both exceptional.
On a trip to Montreal two years ago, we visited Hoogan & Beauforte, a gorgeous restaurant with a world-class wine list. We ordered one of Claire’s white cuvées and were so blown away we immediately ordered the red as well. On our recent visit to Burgundy, we scheduled a meeting at their winery and were once again dumbfounded by their purity and verve. We knew we needed these wines to be part of our quotidian life. After nearly a year of waiting, our allocation has finally arrived, and the celebration can begin.
2021 ALIGOTÉ
This cuvée comes from Magny lès Villers and Villers la Faye, two sites perfect for Aligoté: shallow topsoil, mostly flat, and plenty of sunshine thanks to their south-east orientation. The grapes are pressed into stainless steel and enameled tank for fermentation and élevage on fine lees. No batonnage is done during the short seven-month élevage. The wine is fined with bentonite clay for stability and clarity and then lightly filtered before bottling via gravity. A small amount is Sulphur is added at bottling (usually less than 50ppm total SO2).
2021 LE CLOU 34
This wine is made from Aligoté grown around the town of Corgoloin in the Cote de Nuits. The majority come from a lieu-dit called Le Clou planted in 1934. The other sites that make it into the blend are Vallerot (1902), La Croix (1953), Castaings (1936), and Les Tilles (1935). These sites are planted on shallow limestone soils, usually facing east, in various training methods, including gobelets. The grapes are whole- cluster pressed, and the wine ages on full lees for texture. The wine is bottled by gravity, unfined, unfiltered, and with only a tiny amount of SO2 for travel when necessary.
2021 HAUTES-COTES BE BEAUNE BLANC
This cuvée is made from Chardonnay, and Pinot Blanc, a grape few remember is permitted in Burgundy. It comes from the lieu-dit of En Bully in the commune of Pernand-Vergelesses. The southeast-facing site was planted in 1969, with more Chardonnay being added in 2000 and 2001. The grapes are pressed into tank and barrel, some of which are new. Gentle batonnage is sometimes done during alcoholic fermentation. 60% of the wine is fined with bentonite clay for stability and clarity. The wine is lightly filtered as it is bottled by gravity, usually around 50ppm of total Sulphur.
ESTIMATED RETAIL PRICE: $46.00 CAD
CSPC: 836842
2022 LA PLANTE
This cuvée comes from a tiny plot, En Daisey, in Magny-lès-Villiers, essentially outside any traditionally noteworthy appellation. Planted nearly forty years ago, these vines are trellised high to avoid spring frosts. The clay-limestones soils are more forgiving here, helping the grapes ripen. Whole clusters of Pinot Noir were added to tank and fermented without pump-overs for roughly two weeks before being pressed off. The wine is bottled without fining or filtration and with minimal SO2.
ESTIMATED RETAIL PRICE: $82.00 CAD
CSPC: 849862
2021 CLEMATIS VITALBA
This cuvée comes from a small east facing lieu dit (Les Tilles) in Magny-lès-Villiers. Claire believes this is her best site, allowing her to make a Chardonnay without added SO2. The 25-year-old vines yielded particularly ripe and balanced fruit this vintage. The grapes were gently whole-cluster pressed into tank before the juice was racked into barrel. After a year-long élevage in 30% new oak, the wine is bottled unfiltered.
ESTIMATED RETAIL PRICE: $65.00 CAD
CSPC: 836836
2021 COTE-DE-NUITS VILLAGES
This cuvée comes from various sites around Corgoloin, the southern tip of the Cote-de-Nuits. Lieux-dits include En Vireville, la Montagne, Le Creux de Sobron, and Le Fourmeau. They’re almost exclusively facing east and are planted on classic limestone and clay. Vines range from 25-70 years old. The grapes were destemmed, and after a short cold maceration, the wine ferments on skins for two weeks with occasional pigeage and pump-overs. After a quick racking, the wine undergoes élevage in barrel, some of which were new. The wine is bottled unfiltered by gravity, with a small addition of Sulphur.
2021 ORCHIS MASCULA
This cuvée comes from three exceptional sites in the Hautes-Cotes de Beaune: En Bully (47-year-old vines), La Grande Corvée de Bully (15-year-old vines), and En Foigery (13-year-old vines). After five days of carbonic maceration, the grapes are gently crushed by foot. They avoid pumping the wine to prevent oxidation, a risk when fermenting without any added Sulphur. After ten days on skins, the wine is gently pressed into barrel, some of which are new. The wine is bottled unfined, unfiltered, and only with a tiny amount of SO2 for travel when necessary.
ESTIMATED RETAIL PRICE: $108.00 CAD
CSPC: 849870
2021 VIOLA ODORATA
This wine comes from five lieu-dits near Corgoloin, between Burgundy’s Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune: En Vireville, En Fontenelle, Le Creux de Sobron, La Montange, and Le Forneau. Vine age ranges from 55 to 115 years old. The eastern exposure is ideal for producing maximally ripe Pinot Noir. Whole berry fermentation occurs under a layer of CO2 before the grapes undergo gentle pigeage to extract phenolics gently. After two weeks of fermentation, the wine is pressed off and moved via gravity to tank. After a two day settling off gross lees, the wine is transferred to barrels, one-third of which were new. It is bottled unfined and unfiltered with around 20ppm of SO2. Seven hundred cases were produced.
ESTIMATED RETAIL PRICE: $130.00 CAD
CSPC: 836838
2021 LADOIX 1er CRU
La Corvée is the furthest north premier cru of the Cote de Beaune. Located on a purely south facing slope on well drained soils, it shares some similarities with its more prestigious neighbors Aloxe-Corton and Pernand-Vergelesses. The site tends to ripen evenly every year, tending towards over-ripeness rather than under-ripeness. 2/3 of the vineyard was planted in 1955 with selection massale while the other 1/3 was planted in 1987 with regional clones. The grapes undergo whole-cluster semi-carbonic maceration with gentle pigeage. It is then pressed off into barrel, many of which are new or second fill. After élevage on fine lees the wine is bottled by gravity without any pumping. It is unfined, unfiltered, and has no added Sulphur. Less than 200 cases are made per year.
ESTIMATED RETAIL PRICE: $218.00 CAD
CSPC: 836839
2020 NUITS-ST-GEORGES 1er CRU
Les Damodes is a steep premier cru featuring exposed limestone bedrock perched above the town of Nuits-St-Georges. It is located in the far northern corner of the appellation, only 2-300m away from La Tâche. The vines are 50-80 years old and are facing due east. The grapes were fermented whole-cluster in tank for roughly two weeks before being pressed off into barrel, many of which were new or second fill. After élevage on fine lees the wine is bottled by gravity without any pumping. It is unfined, unfiltered, and has no added Sulphur. Less than 100 cases are made per year.
ESTIMATED RETAIL PRICE: $915.00 CAD
CSPC: 849871
2021 ÉCHEZEAU GRAND CRU
The lieu-dit of Les Rouges du Bas is roughly one acre near the top on the slope. Soils here include sandy pink limestone making it incredibly unique. The steep slope and modest topsoil mean cover crops are essential for preventing erosion. The vines are roughly forty years old. Claire typically harvests this plot early in the morning to retain freshness, opting for whole-cluster fermentation for two weeks in an open-top tank. She employs gentle pigeage to avoid over-extraction. The wine is then pressed off into barrel, many of which are new. One month before bottling, she racks into stainless steel, then bottles via gravity without fining or filtration. In a typical year, 100 cases are produced.
ESTIMATED RETAIL PRICE: $71.00 CAD
CSPC: 849859
2020 BELLIS PERENNIS
This wine comes from two of Claire’s most prized parcels: En Daisey in Magny lès Villers, and En Bully (named for its bubbling spring) in Pernand-Vergelesses. Whole clusters were gently pressed into tank for a short settling period. The juice is then racked into barrel for fermentation. The wine is only ever moved by gravity, not by pump. After a yearlong élevage on the fine lees the wine is bottled unfiltered with just over 20ppm of SO2. It is an ode to the daisies found in her vineyards.
ESTIMATED RETAIL PRICE: $37.00 CAD
CSPC: 836842
2021 LE GAMAY DE L’ALLIÉ
This project started after several devastating vintages in Burgundy. Claire decided to seek out vineyards to supplement her production. She opted for a site nearly 200km east of Beaune in St Pourcain planted to Gamay. With pink granite soils it is not unlike Beaujolais. After the grapes arrive in refrigerated trucks, they are fermented as whole-clusters in concrete without any pump-overs. This was the first wine she ever bottled entirely without Sulphur. It is unfined and unfiltered.
