It is not every day that one can announce a newly founded domaine in Burgundy. This is also the case with the Domaine Boris Champy not really the case; because he took over the domaine from Didier Montchovet and thus the oldest Demeter-certified wine estate in Burgundy. Nevertheless, the process is spectacular because Boris Champy, an experienced winemaker, is above all focusing on the Hautes-Côtes de Beaune and thus on vineyards which, until a few years ago, hardly received any attention.
Text and wine expertise: Christoph Raffelt
Very experienced and well networked
Boris Champy's vita contains some remarkable stations. The native Champenois has been managing the Dominus wine estate in Napa Valley for Christian Mouëix for ten years. Afterwards, he went to Burgundy to Louis Latour for some years, before he took care of the wines from Clos des Lambrays.
A few years ago, the passionate triathlete felt that he should change something and set off on foot on the Way of St. James to Santiago de Compostela. When he returned, Boris, who is very well connected, set up his own business as a consultant. When Didier Montchovet offered him to take over his domain, he accepted.
The Hautes-Côtes de Beaune
Didier Montchovet's winery was not just any winery, it was located in Nantoux in the Hautes-Côtes de Beaune. Montchovet had founded it in 1984 with 0.5 hectares and extended it to twelve hectares over the years. From the beginning, he cultivated his wine estate according to biological and biodynamic principles and was the first in Burgundy to have his vineyard certified by Demeter®. From 1990 onwards, he planted new vineyards in which he exclusively sélections massales used from rices that were still from the Prae phylloxera era and had never seen even a hint of chemistry. That's not something you see very often.
The Domaine's vineyards are essentially located in a part of Burgundy that had little reputation just a few years ago. They are the Hautes-Côtes de Beaune, which, like the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits, are somewhat off the beaten track and higher up. These are vineyards that in the past had by no means an optimal location and where the grapes often did not ripen.
But just this has changed during the past few years. Whereas some Grand Cru vineyards have to be feared because of drought stress and overheating, the peripheral vineyards are becoming more and more favorable. Montchovet as well as Champy put and still put special emphasis on compensation areas and biodiversity. Small woods, orchards, meadows with rare plants, dry stone walls and hedges play a crucial role in the Domaine's ecosystem. They contribute not only to the diversity but also to the protection of the vineyards.
Besides the up to 421 meters high In addition to the Hautes-Côtes, the winery has a few plots in the En Bœuf vineyard in Pommard and the Aux Coucherias and Les Vignes Franches 1er Cru vineyards in Beaune. These vineyards will probably also be mentioned on the labels starting with the next vintage.
Wines and styles from Boris Champy
Boris Champyand you notice that very quickly, has a very good hand for the right use of wood. This becomes clear with every single wine, but above all with the Pinots. He is already interpreting the individual vineyards very precisely, he knows how to de-stem sometimes more, sometimes less, and he is using different barrels and tonneaux for the vinification of the wines. In doing so, he succeeds in special freshness of the wines to obtain. Besides the Pinots, he produces a palatable, spicy and fresh Gamay, furthermore a Chardonnay and an Aligoté with power and maturity. This is a part of the 1TP7 "New" Burgundy that should not be missed.
