2020 Domaine Derain Saint-Aubin Le Ban

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

"The Le Ban is one of the best wines from the Derain vineyards! The wines here tend to reflect the vintage especially when it encourages slow but steady growth in the vineyard leading to wines with good structure and length. The vines here (which were planted in 1920, so are now over 100 years old) thrive on an east facing slope covered in limestone derived brown clay and gravel." - 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.