Domaine de Cassiopée

History of the domaine de Cassiopée

The story of the Domaine de Cassiopée begins in January 2020, when Talloulah Dubourg and Hugo Mathurin, a young couple of passionate oenologists, seized the opportunity to take over a little-known wine estate in Sampigny-lès-Maranges. This commune of Saône-et-Loire, located at the far southern end of the Côte de Beaune, offered them exactly what they were looking for: a cool terroir capable of producing the pure, straight, and energetic wines they love to drink, at a time when climate change is disrupting the traditional balances of Burgundy.

Before creating their own estate, the two winemakers honed their expertise alongside the greatest. Hugo Mathurin worked at Jean-Marc Roulot and then Frédéric Mugnier, before taking on the technical directorship of the Beaune viticultural school for two years. Talloulah Dubourg, for her part, passed through Clos de Tart, the négociant Benjamin Leroux, and the domaine de Marie-Thérèse Chappaz in the Swiss Valais. The name of the estate evokes the Cassiopeia constellation, a celestial landmark that has guided travelers since time immemorial, reflecting the couple's deep commitment to viticultural practices that respect natural rhythms. In just a few vintages, the Domaine de Cassiopée has established itself as one of the most exciting emerging names in Burgundy.

Terroirs and Vines of the domaine de Cassiopée

The vineyard of the Domaine de Cassiopée covers 5 hectares spread across eight plots scattered over six lieux-dits, straddling the Maranges, Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune, and regional Bourgogne appellations, with a few vines located in Chassey-le-Camp. Dominated by the Montagne des Trois Croix, the Maranges appellation is the most southerly and least-known of the Côte de Beaune. Its cooler climate, accentuated by the steep hillsides, valleys, and wild copses, delays the harvest by ten to fifteen days compared to Meursault or Puligny-Montrachet — a precious signature for preserving the freshness and tension of the wines.

The soils combine classic clay-limestone and rarer granitic rocks, an unusual geological configuration that lends the wines of the Domaine de Cassiopée a saline minerality and a particular tannin texture. The vines, often between 50 and 110 years old, thrive on hillsides exposed to the east, south-west, or north-east depending on the plot. From the moment they took over the estate, Talloulah and Hugo began the conversion to organic farming, now certified, and apply certain principles of biodynamics, notably respecting the lunar calendar for racking and bottling. Work in the vineyard is carried out with extreme attention to biodiversity, the surrounding hedgerows, and the forests that encircle the plots.

Vinifications of the domaine de Cassiopée

The winemaking philosophy of the Domaine de Cassiopée rests on a simple principle: intervene as little as possible to let each terroir speak. Each of the eight plots is vinified separately, giving rise to single-plot cuvées that reveal the singular identity of each lieu-dit. Fermentations take place exclusively with the indigenous yeasts present on the grapes, without any external input. For the reds, the use of whole clusters varies according to the cuvées and vintages, generally between 15% and 45%, in order to bring finesse, aromatic freshness, and an airy tannic structure.

The aging periods are delicate and generally last twelve months, sometimes longer for the most structured cuvées. The couple favors large-format old barrels, amphorae, and stoneware jars, in order to avoid any woody imprint and to preserve the purity of the fruit. The lunar calendar guides the racking and bottling operations. The wines are neither fined nor filtered. Sulfur is used only in infinitesimal quantities, or not at all, with a very slight dose added at bottling only when deemed necessary. This minimally interventionist approach yields wines of remarkable transparency, vibrant, energetic, and imbued with a saline minerality that is the hallmark of the estate.

The cuvées of the domaine de Cassiopée

Bourgogne Aligoté Mitancherie: from a 0.5-hectare plot east-facing above Cheilly-lès-Maranges, planted on clay-limestone soils once considered too cold for vines. The approximately thirty-year-old aligoté vines yield a taut, fresh, and expressive white wine, with white and yellow fruits and a beautiful mineral length.

Bourgogne Aligoté En Gerlieus: this cuvée comes from an isolated plot in Chassey-le-Camp, surrounded by forests, where the aligoté is planted on vines aged between 40 and 100 years. Vinified approximately 40% in amphorae and 60% in barrels, it delivers an aligoté of great complexity, at once pure, saline, and deep — one of the finest expressions of the variety in Burgundy.

Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune Blanc Les Côtes: this chardonnay flourishes across two facing plots on the "cold hillside", one on limestone rock, the other on granitic substrate, with a north-east exposure. The wine combines crystalline tension, delicate floral notes, and the smoky minerality characteristic of granite, in an airy and precise style.

Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune Rouge Les Côtes: pinot noir grown on granitic rock, entirely destemmed. This cuvée stands out for its powerful mineral expression, aromas of fresh red fruits, a fine structure, and beautiful depth. The stony, smoky character of the granite is particularly legible here.

Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune Les Paizets: pinot noir planted on classic clay-limestone soil, on the same cold hillside as Les Côtes, just above it. The approximately 50-year-old vines, planted at a slightly reduced density, yield an elegant, lifted wine, with small red fruits, a lively freshness, and a delicate texture.

Bourgogne Rouge En Gerlieus: from 0.9 hectares in Chassey-le-Camp, planted just alongside the aligoté of the same name, on a north-east facing hillside. The pinot noir vines, aged between 50 and 70 years, yield a concentrated, deep, and textured wine, marked by a cool-fruit expression and a stony minerality that calls for aging.

Maranges Le Saugeot: a cuvée born from a lease recovered in 2021 in the Cirque de Dezize, a plot shaped like an ancient amphitheater overlooking the village of Sampigny-lès-Maranges. This pinot noir seduces with its airy finesse, its notes of small red and black fruits, and its palate that is at once indulgent and taut.

Maranges Le Bas du Clos: a plot located just behind the estate's house, planted with 90-year-old pinot noir vines, south-west facing on clay-limestone soil. Always harvested first, it yields a rich, balanced Maranges of evident purity, whose old vines impart a thoroughbred intensity and remarkable length.

Maranges Les Plantes: the estate's flagship and rarest cuvée, from century-old vines (110 years) planted in the most recognized zone of the Maranges appellation. This exceptional pinot noir offers a silky and deep palate, an explosion of small wild red fruits, a complete structure, and superior aging potential, the result of extended aging to reveal its full complexity.