Daniel Barraud

History of Domaine Daniel Barraud

The family story begins in 1905, when Jean-Marie Barraud settled in Vergisson as a sharecropper. Able to read and keep accounts, he saved enough to acquire, in 1912 with his wife Marie, the first parcels of the estate. Ten years later, Joseph and Marguerite Barraud took over. A visionary entrepreneur, Joseph identified the best plots to plant vines, developed direct sales to cafés and restaurants, and was among the first in the village to bottle at the estate in the late 1930s. The first Les Crays cuvée was born in 1947 and has since remained the estate's reference parcel within the Burgundy wines.

In 1959, Henri Barraud joined the estate with his wife Monique, a native of Fuissé. To him we owe the estate's motto: work well and you earn your time. The creation of the Saint-Véran AOC in 1971 opened a new chapter, with the Les Pommards parcel being bottled as early as 1978. The fourth generation took over in 1979: Daniel and Martine Barraud launched the commercial bottling of Mâcon-Vergisson and Saint-Véran En Crèches, then in 1990 purchased the house and the Clos de la Verchère, the moment when the DB initials appeared on the labels. Daniel then elevated the estate to the top of the Mâconnais hierarchy. Julien joined him in 2006 and took charge of the winemaking, later joined by his sister Anaïs in 2015.

Terroirs and Vines of Domaine Daniel Barraud

The vineyard covers around ten hectares planted 100% in chardonnay, principally around Vergisson, with extensions in Davayé, Fuissé and Chaintré. The soils reflect the spectacular geology of the area: limestone scree on steep slopes at the foot of the Roche de Vergisson, white limestone at altitude, chert limestone towards Fuissé, alternating calcareous marls in the Clos de la Verchère, variegated Triassic clays on the En France terroir, and clay-sandstone and siliceous soils in Chaintré. This diversity explains the richness of the range and justifies a parcel-by-parcel vinification in Pouilly-Fuissé.

The age of the vines is another major asset: the average frequently exceeds forty years, and several parcels surpass the half-century mark, with En Buland having been planted in 1934 and La Verchère between 1947 and 1969. The work is artisanal, with ploughing of all parcels, reasoned cover cropping, no herbicides, careful bud removal and leaf thinning, followed by manual harvesting with sorting. The slopes of Vergisson, which are difficult to mechanise, demand constant precision. In Davayé, the limestone soils yield generous Saint-Véran, while four of the estate's terroirs in Vergisson joined the list of premier crus at the 2020 classification.

Vinifications of Domaine Daniel Barraud

Each parcel is pressed and then vinified separately, allowing the identity of each terroir to be preserved. Depending on the cuvée, fermentation takes place in tank, in 228- or 300-litre barrels, in 600-litre demi-muids or in large oak vats, with a deliberately measured proportion of new wood, most often between 10 and 35%. Indigenous yeasts drive the fermentations, and Julien Barraud has extended the ageing of the top cuvées in order to gain complexity and depth.

Ageing generally lasts twelve months on fine lees, followed by two to three additional months in tank after racking — a step that brings cohesion and freshness before bottling. Bâtonnage remains discreet so as not to weigh down the wine, and the goal is always saline tension rather than showy richness. The result is crystalline Burgundy white wines, already enjoyable in their youth yet endowed with genuine ageing potential, in the image of the finest Burgundy premier crus.

The cuvées of Domaine Daniel Barraud

The Mâcon-Chaintré Les Pierres Polies is born at the foot of the Chaintré hillsides, on clay-sandstone and siliceous soils, from vines planted in 1990. Vinified three-quarters in large oak vats and one-quarter in tank, it seduces with its crunchy fruit, suppleness and immediate drinkability. The Mâcon-Fuissé comes from a south-east-facing parcel at altitude on chert limestone, planted in 1985: vinified in tank and demi-muid, it combines roundness, minerality and a very refreshing citrus touch. The Mâcon-Vergisson La Roche, from parcels situated at 380 metres altitude on white limestone, is aged in 300-litre barrels with 10% new wood and stands out for its lemon notes and finely chiselled finesse. The Mâcon Les Chailles rounds out this entry-level range with a straight, saline and remarkably accessible chardonnay.

In Saint-Véran, the Arpège cuvée blends two parcels of twenty to twenty-five years of age, vinified half in barrels and half in tanks, giving it a suave and fruity palate lifted by a mineral finish. The Saint-Véran En Crèches, south-east-facing in a warm and sheltered hollow on white limestone, is aged 70% in barrels and the remainder in 600-litre demi-muids with 10% new wood: the wine is floral, very pleasant, all white fruits. The Saint-Véran Les Pommards, planted on a limestone terroir above an old quarry and north-east-facing, comes from vines of around forty years aged twelve months in 300-litre barrels with 20% new wood, then two months in tank: rich, full-bodied and concentrated, it offers a remarkable length for the appellation.

The Pouilly-Fuissé Alliance, often offered as Vieilles Vignes, blends several parcels of scree, gryphaea limestone and clay-limestone planted forty to sixty years ago, vinified one-third in barrel, one-third in demi-muid and one-third in tank. Mineral and fruity, it drinks well young while supporting seven years of cellaring. The Pouilly-Fuissé Les Chataigniers, from the village of Fuissé, occupies a sixty-year-old parcel at altitude on chert limestone, aged one-third in barrel and two-thirds in demi-muid with 15% new wood: the palate is round, supple, punctuated by a lemony finish. The Pouilly-Fuissé En France, on the edge of the Château de France on limestone covered with variegated Triassic clays, brings together vines planted in 1972 and 1984 and is aged in barrel with 20% new wood, delivering power, length, fresh fruit and a very pronounced saline finish. The Pouilly-Fuissé La Verchère, a walled parcel adjoining the house, fully south-facing on an alternation of scree and calcareous marls, comes from vines planted between 1947 and 1969: twelve months in barrel with 20% new wood followed by two months in tank give a wine of citrus and stone, delicious young and promising a fine ageing potential. The Pouilly-Fuissé La Roche, a small parcel perched at 350 metres on white limestone, combines richness, fruit and superb minerality after twelve months of ageing in barrels with 20% new wood. The Pouilly-Fuissé Les Crays, clinging to the Roche de Vergisson on a steeply sloping scree hillside, demands extreme precision and reveals itself as mineral, delicate, with a suave texture, with three months in tank after racking. Finally, the Pouilly-Fuissé En Buland, on the slope of the Roche de Solutré, north-east-facing and planted in 1934, is aged twelve months in barrels with 35% new wood then three months in tank: powerful, complex, subtle and endowed with exceptional minerality, it is the estate's great vin de garde.