Les Flaneurs

History of Domaine Les Flâneurs

The story of Les Flâneurs truly begins in 2020, the year of the first vintage of this négociant house created by Laurence and Nina after several seasons of work at Domaine Dandelion, a renowned estate in the Hautes-Côtes de Beaune. This formative experience alongside environmentally conscious winegrowers shaped their vision and their determination to produce wine in the most natural way possible. The duo chose to set up in the same winemaking facilities previously used by Jonathan Purcell for his Vin Noé project, thus benefiting from suitable equipment and a network of committed organic growers.

Since that first much-noticed vintage in 2020, Les Flâneurs has continued to progress year after year, gaining in precision and technical mastery. What began as a microscopic garage project has been transformed into a promising winemaking venture, applauded by natural wine professionals and discerning enthusiasts alike. The estate's philosophy rests on an artisanal and human approach, favouring the rigorous selection of grapes from organic farming and winemaking without artifice. Les Flâneurs embodies this new wave of independent winemakers reinventing Burgundian tradition with freshness and boldness, offering accessible wines that reflect their personal sensibility and their contemporary vision of Burgundy.

Terroirs and Vines of Domaine Les Flâneurs

As a négociant, Les Flâneurs does not own its own vineyard, but selects with meticulous care the plots and partner growers who share their values. This approach allows them to explore different terroirs of Burgundy and to compose a range of wines reflecting the geological and climatic diversity of the region. The grapes come exclusively from vines cultivated using organic farming, such as the Aligoté from Igé in the Mâconnais, thereby guaranteeing a healthy and expressive raw material.

The choice of plots is guided by precise criteria: the age of the vines, the exposure of the slopes, the nature of the clay-limestone soils typical of Burgundy, and above all the quality of the viticultural work carried out by the owners. Les Flâneurs favours growers who practise respectful farming methods, limiting inputs and encouraging soil life. This rigorous selection forms the foundation of their quality-driven approach, making it possible to obtain grapes that are ripe, balanced, and expressive of the identity of their original terroir.

The Burgundian terroirs selected by the estate benefit from the region's continental climatic characteristics, with cold winters and warm summers favouring a gradual ripening of the berries. The soils, composed primarily of limestone and marl, lend the wines that distinctive minerality and tension characteristic of the great wines of Burgundy. Whether in the Mâconnais for the Aligoté, in Mancey for the Pinot Noir, or in Belleville-en-Beaujolais for the Marsanne and Roussanne, each plot is chosen for its potential to produce wines that are frank, digestible and marked by their geographical origin.

Winemaking at Domaine Les Flâneurs

The winemaking philosophy of Les Flâneurs is resolutely part of the natural wine movement, with minimal intervention from the winemaker and absolute respect for the fruit. Harvesting is exclusively manual, with the grapes being picked at full ripeness to guarantee the optimal expression of each grape variety. This selective harvesting constitutes the first step in a process aimed at preserving the integrity and vitality of the grape.

In the cellar, winemaking favours simplicity and authenticity. For the whites, the grapes are pressed directly into stainless steel vats after harvest, with a minimal dose of sulphur at vatting (below 15 ppm), allowing the juices to express themselves freely. Fermentations proceed spontaneously thanks to indigenous yeasts naturally present on the berries, without the addition of selected commercial yeasts. This approach requires patience and close observation, but it produces wines that are alive and complex.

Ageing takes place in stainless steel vats, preserving the freshness and aromatic purity of the wines. Once the wine is deemed ready, bottling is carried out without filtration or fining — techniques often used in conventional winemaking but which can deplete the substance and complexity of the wine. For most of the cuvées, no sulphur is added at the time of bottling, reflecting confidence in the natural stability of the wines and a radical commitment to natural winemaking.

This demanding working method requires constant attention and a deep understanding of fermentation and ageing processes. It nevertheless makes it possible to produce wines that are frank, digestible and vibrant, accurately expressing the character of the vintage and the personality of each grape variety. Winemaking at Les Flâneurs aims to reveal rather than transform, favouring fruit precision, freshness and a spontaneous balance that is the recognisable signature of the estate.

The Cuvées of Domaine Les Flâneurs

Bourgogne Aligoté

This emblematic cuvée of the estate comes from Aligoté vines organically farmed in Igé, in the Mâconnais. Aligoté, a traditional Burgundy grape variety that is often overlooked, finds here a pure and refreshing expression. The grapes are harvested by hand and then pressed directly into stainless steel vats. After ageing that preserves the wine's vivacity, it is bottled without filtration, without fining and without the addition of extra sulphur. This Bourgogne Aligoté is characterised by its brilliant freshness, its aromas of citrus and white flowers, and its saline minerality on the palate. A wine of immediate pleasure, it offers remarkable drinkability while possessing sufficient structure for a few years of cellaring.

Bourgogne Rouge

The Flâneurs' Bourgogne Rouge, made from Pinot Noir, has been the other pillar of the estate since the 2020 vintage. This red wine bears witness to the progressive mastery acquired by Laurence and Nina in the vinification of this delicate and demanding grape variety. The Pinot Noir is vinified with great gentleness, without excessive extraction, in order to preserve the fruit and fluidity characteristic of the variety. Sourced from Burgundian clay-limestone soils, this red displays a luminous ruby colour and an elegant nose of fresh red fruits, cherry and subtle spice notes. On the palate, the wine unfolds with lightness and freshness, carried by lovely fine tannins and beautiful tension. The natural winemaking approach lends this Bourgogne Rouge remarkable drinkability and a sincere expression of the terroir.

Pinot Pinot

An atypical and creative cuvée, Pinot Pinot is an original white wine born from the blending of Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir vinified as a white. This bold approach illustrates Les Flâneurs' desire to explore the possibilities offered by Burgundian grape varieties beyond conventional boundaries. The winemaking favours freshness and clarity, with minimal intervention allowing the juices to express themselves fully. On the palate, the wine reveals itself to be supple and lightly textured, with a subtle tension that balances the whole. Pinot Pinot displays an ethereal character, easy to drink and very pleasant as a gastronomic accompaniment. Its delicate aromas evoke white fruits, spring flowers and a touch of refreshing minerality.

Plutôt Blanc (Rosé)

This singular cuvée blends 30% Pinot Noir from Mancey, 35% Marsanne and 35% Roussanne from Belleville-en-Beaujolais. The playful name "Plutôt Blanc" plays on the visual ambiguity of this pale rosé wine that could be mistaken for a white. Produced without the addition of sulphites, this wine bears witness to the technical mastery acquired by the winemakers and their confidence in the natural stability of the wine. The unusual blend of grape varieties brings complexity and originality to this cuvée. The Pinot Noir vinified as a rosé offers structure and delicate red fruits, while the Marsanne and Roussanne — Rhône varieties rarely used in Burgundy — contribute richness, floral notes and aromatic length.