Château de Chamilly

Mes Vignes in Burgundy

You're going to follow the elaboration of an AOC Bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise red wine made from your plot of vines at Château de Chamilly.

Le domaine

The Château de Chamilly is situated in the appellation Bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise, between the Côte de Beaune to the north and the hills of the Mâconnais to the south. It's one of the most beautiful viticultural regions in Burgundy.

The domain is located in the small village of Chamilly, nestled in the heart of a verdant valley, bordered by vineyards and small woodlots a few kilometres from Mercurey. The domain is anchored by a magnificent 17th century château, surrounded by farm buildings, which house the winery and cellars.

There are 16 ha., of vineyard planted to the traditional Burgundy grapes, pinot noir and chardonnay, split between the communities of St. Gilles, Chamilly and Mercurey.

Begun in the 19th century, the Château de Chamilly has been passed on from generation to generation. Since 1999, Veronique Desfontaine has run the domain.

In 2007 her two sons, Arnaud and Xavier, came back to the domain after having finished their training in some of the world's best viticultural regions.

The domain's wine has evolved since the brothers return. An evolution… but not a revolution. Their goal is to optimise grape quality while maintaining total respect for the vineyard.

Arnaud and Xavier are complementary and accomplice in everything they do and form with their mother an engaging and sincere troika of "gens de la vigne'. It is a magical experience indeed to discover the wines of Burgundy at their sides.

The Mes Vignes Vintage Wines of the Domain Portrait of the wine-grower Plot Locations

The Mes Vignes Vintage

Bouteille de votre cuvée à votre nom au Château de Chamilly

The bottling that you are going to follow is typical of the Côte Chalonnaise appellation: a fine, solid, fruity, easy drinking red that will delight lovers of refreshing Burgundy pinot noir.

The Mes Vignes bottling is mostly destined to be drunk young and fresh but because of it's structure could be kept as long as five years. It will pair wonderfully with stronger cheeses such as coulommiers, port-salut or époisses and also with fine cuisine or white meats.

Portrait of the wine-grower

The Desfontaines Family

When the Desfontaines family bought the Château and lands back in the 19th century, the land was geared to mixed-farming and breeding with few vineyards. Did Bernard Desfontaines sense the viticultural potential of the domain? At any rate, he began to develop the vineyard and bought several blocks of 1st growth land near Mercurey. His son, Louis, stopped producing other crops to specialise in grape growing and was responsible for the big expansion of Chamilly. A noted local personality and a great vineyard connoisseur, Louis bought le clos la Perrière in the early '90s. This 2.5 ha., single block is very well situated in Mercurey, so well in fact that a classification revision process – a rare occurrence in Burgundy – is underway.

In 1999 with the death of Louis Desfontaines, the reins of the domain passed brutally to his wife Veronique. At the same moment their two children, Xavier and Arnaud begin their viticulture studies.

The following years were difficult, and with a woman at the head of Chamilly the wines changed. Encouraged by her sons, Veronique Desfontaines began experimenting with new techniques like destemming most of the harvest before the primary fermentation. The wines became rounder, with better fruit and were more pleasant earlier on.

In 2004 Arnaud Desfontaines finished his degree in viticulture-oenology followed by his brother Xavier two years later. Both wanted to get some experience elsewhere before coming back to the domain. However, several unhappy experiences forced them to bring in a team of managers. They also decided that each one would take turns staying at the domain while the other was away making wine in the new world (Australia for one, New Zealand for the second).

In 2007 the two Desfontaines brothers rejoined their mother at Chamilly and everything turned around. With the two brothers home, the wines underwent another evolution… but not a revolution. Since their arrival, the brother's objective has been to maximise grape quality while respecting the vineyards. The goal, over time, is to make organic wines, one step at a time, taking into account the economic constraints of the day.

Practicalities

	Varietal blend for the Mes Vignes bottling: Pinot Noir
	Date, Harvest Workshop: between 1st September and 5th October 2011
	Date, Oenology Workshop: between 15th February and 30th April 2012
	Finished wine available: between December 2012 and January 2013