Domaine Ghislaine Barthod

Touchstone Chambolle-Musigny

Anyone who doubts the reality of terroir need only taste their way through the range of Ghislaine Barthod wines each year to be converted. While the Domaine is small with just under six hectares of vineyards (one of the reasons it flies under the radar) it includes a remarkable nine Chambolle-Musigny Premier Crus. These are all made exactly the same way, and yet, they all have very different personalities from each other: personalities that express themselves year in and year out, irrespective of the climatic conditions. That said, these Burgundies are not simply subjects for terroir voyeurism—they are just far too delicious for that. To quote Terry Theise, “...that would be like ignoring the rainbow so you can balance your chequebook.”

Since 1999, the high quality produced by Ghislaine Barthod has ensured a powerful following amongst Burgundy enthusiasts in the know. The style is unashamedly intense, with both the perfume and sensuality that has made Chambolle such an iconic commune but also the density and structure to age (an attribute that Ghislaine strives for).

Ghislaine Barthod’s wines balance the natural elegance of Chambolle with sensual depth, structure and longevity. Many, if not all the wines at this address manage to blur the hierarchy.

Restricted crop and meticulous attention to élevage are the ‘simple’ keys to Ghislaine’s success. Her straightforward, no-nonsense approach helped introduce a sorting table to discard any grapes that were not up to scratch. Along with this; a gentle cool pre-maceration before fermentation is used to extract all the fruit's freshness and flavours; only natural yeasts are used; the grapes are destemmed before being fermented naturally in open-top wooden cuvees. The wines are then matured in barriques (roughly a quarter of which are new) for 12-18 months.

Ghislaine’s son, Clément Boillot is now heavily involved in the running of the Domaine. They say the apple never falls far from the tree, and from what we have seen—even by this Domaine’s lofty standards—the quality of Clément’s first releases has been astonishing. In the cellar, Clément is running trials with amphora and foudre and is in the early stages of introducing biodynamic viticulture. We know from discussions with Clément (and from what his mother has told us about him) that he is likely to be a wonderful manager of this Domaine in the future. He has the drive of the true vigneron: emphasising the vineyard over the cellar. What a legacy he is inheriting!

The Range

Not seeing any wines? The wines from this producer are very limited and only available in small volumes, or they may be offered exclusively through our allocation program. Please contact your account manager or email us to register your interest in the next release.

“Ghislaine Barthod continues to render some of the purest, most expressively fruity and consistently excellent as well as age worthy Pinots in Burgundy.” The Wine Advocate

“…pound for pound quite possibly the best wines in Chambolle-Musigny.” Bill Nanson, The Finest Wines of Burgundy

“While each wine displays the idiosyncrasies of its particular terroir, the overall effect of tasting at the domaine is to come away with a palate coated in sensual Chambolle fruit.” Jasper Morris MW, Inside Burgundy

Country

France

Primary Region

Côte de Nuits

People

Winemakers: Ghislaine Barthod & Clément Boillot

Availability

National

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