Big shot venture capitalists from Silicon Valley and millionaire investors from Bejing might be scooping up properties left and right in Napa and Bordeaux, but the romance of small, family-owned winemaking is alive and well in Burgundy.
The Family
Domaine Besson is a perfect example, with a history extending back to 1902 and spanning four generations of winemaking. In 1902, Eug猫ne Besson聽planted 7.58 hectares off vines in Chablis. Today his grandson, Alain, owns the Domaine. Alain’s聽daughter Camille received聽her diploma of oenology in 2013 and leads their winemaking efforts.
The Besson family brings four generations of family-owned winemaking to the table.
The Wines
Every one of their wines shows grace and style, with pure racy acidity and fresh fruit that can only come from Chablis.
If big, tropical style聽Cali Chardonnay is your thing, look elsewhere.
These wines are all about pure elegance – but don’t let that fool you into thinking they lack complexity. This is stony, minerally, super-clean and complex Chardonnay at its best.聽Light yellow, almost transparent in the glass, but quite fleshy in the mouth, with delicate layers聽of lemon, lime, grapefruit and pear framed by聽that distinct Chablis flinty minerality. They produce a range of wines from the basic Chablis to Premier Crus and Grand Crus. Every one shows great personality and depth.
The Vineyards
Like most Burgundy growers, Alain holds a hearty respect for聽the land. He uses聽a minimum of sprays and fertilizers and takes聽a non-interventionist approach to farming. He聽secured some fantastic parcels over the years, expanding to聽21+ hectares of Chablis, Petit Chablis, Chablis Premier Cru and Chablis Grand Cru. They produce two聽Grand Crus, one from Vaud茅sir and the other from a tiny plot of vines smack dab聽in the middle of the legendary Le Clos vineyard.
Most of the vines planted across Bessons vineyards are 40+ years old.
The best Chablis聽vineyards are loaded with the famous聽kimmeridgian soil which has millions of seashells and tiny marine fossils preserved in its聽chalky white limestone.聽This gives the Chablis appellation its trademark flinty minerality and a fleshy density. It聽also adds something elusive, almost like there’s fresh baked bread or an almond croissant hiding somewhere nearby.
It’s not easy finding Burgundy wines that offer such balance between quality, quantity and value. Since聽discovering this producer on a trip to Europe in 2015 we have imported several of their wines and every聽time a new shipment聽lands in the warehouse we share some triumphant high fives. Domaine Besson represents one of our best discoveries and we are always super excited to share their wines聽with our customers.
