2020 Domaine Derain Pommard Les Petits Noizons

WINEMAKER: Julien Altaber & Carole Schwab
REGION: Burgundy, FR
VARIETAL: Pinot Noir
VITICULTURE: Certified Biodynamic

"There is lots of limestone here because it is quite close to one of our favourite villages in Burgundy, namely Pommard! This village is well known for the intense, structured red wines that benefit from the iron-rich, red soils that surround the village. This is why red wines are particularly favoured here – Pinot Noir has a particular affinity for these soils and therefore the Pommard reds are sought after.

The Les Petits Noizons is one of the best sites in Pommard and therefore the wines are particularly attractive. Both vintages display a lively, strong, structured deep-red wine showing all the complexity and elegance you would expect from a Pommard! We would advise that the put these wines down for a couple of years as they typically have some volatility when young. Once they have rested for a while they show their full promise." - Living Wines

Dominique Derain started his career making wine barrels but decided, instead, to study winemaking in Beaune. In 1988 he and his wife Catherine purchased 5.5 hectares of vineyards in Saint-Aubin just south of Beaune and began tending the vines biodynamically and making their wines in a non-interventionist way as well.

A few years ago, Dominique officially retired. His long time assistant Julien Altaber and his partner, Carole Schwab (who also worked for Dominique managing the administration) bought the domaine from him. Julien, in addition to working for Dominique, had started his own domaine (Sextant) some years before, initially making his own wine in Dominique’s cellar, so it was a natural changing of the guard.