Chantal Lescure

History of Domaine Chantal Lescure

Domaine Chantal Lescure was founded in 1975 in Nuits-Saint-Georges by Chantal Lescure and her husband, Xavier Machard de Gramont. From the outset, the couple made an unusual strategic choice: to build a vineyard spanning the Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune, bringing strikingly different expressions of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay together under one label. Within a few years, the property encompassed around thirty plots across some of the Côte d’Or’s most prestigious appellations.

Chantal Lescure’s untimely death in 1996 marked a turning point. Her sons, Aymeric and Thibault Machard de Gramont, took up the mantle and began a radical reassessment of practices, entrusting technical management to François Chavériat. Starting in 1997, herbicides and synthetic chemicals were abandoned to restore life to the soils. The entire vineyard converted to organic farming and received certification in 2006. The distribution network was completely rebuilt, and the estate’s reputation became firmly established. In 2022, the property left family ownership: Burgundy entrepreneur Jean-Philippe Girard, founder of Eurogerm, partnered with Éric Rousseau of the renowned Domaine Armand Rousseau de Gevrey-Chambertin to continue the venture. François Chavériat guided the transition until his retirement in 2024, when Fabrice Groussin took over, representing a younger generation committed to viticulture that respects the terroir.

Terroirs and Vineyards of Domaine Chantal Lescure

The vineyards form a veritable mosaic of the Côte d’Or. To the north, the Côte de Nuits brings power and depth through Chambolle-Musigny, Vosne-Romanée, Nuits-Saint-Georges and Clos de Vougeot. To the south, the Côte de Beaune offers a velvety texture and finesse through Beaune, Pommard, Volnay and Meursault. The soils combine clay, silt, fine gravel and limestone, with significant variations according to elevation and exposure. Some plots, such as Les Damodes in Nuits-Saint-Georges, rise to around 320 meters on highly limestone-rich, due-east-facing terrain, while others lie on deeper sandy clay soils at the foot of the slope.

The approach to vineyard management follows a simple principle, summed up by the house motto: no great wines without great grapes. The soils are worked mechanically, microbial life is preserved, and treatments are limited to preparations permitted in organic farming. The estate has a high proportion of old vines, including vines over seventy years old in the Montiotes Hautes lieu-dit within Clos de Vougeot. Yields are deliberately kept low, at around thirty-five to forty hectoliters per hectare, and the grapes are always harvested by hand into small, 25-kilogram crates, often late in the season to achieve optimal ripeness.

Winemaking at Domaine Chantal Lescure

For the reds, the approach is minimalist and rigorous. The grapes are sorted, fully destemmed but not crushed, then transferred into vats by gravity to preserve the integrity of the berries. A three- to four-day cold pre-fermentation maceration precedes a gentle, lengthy fermentation driven solely by native yeasts. Punch-downs are kept moderate, and the wine remains on its skins for eighteen to twenty-five days in small, tapered wooden vats of around eighteen hectoliters, allowing each plot to be vinified separately.

Aging takes place on the lees in cool cellars for sixteen to eighteen months, with thirty to fifty percent new barrels depending on the power of the cru. The oak comes mainly from Allier and Nièvre. The wine is racked just once, about a month before bottling, which is done without fining or filtration. For the whites, whole grape clusters are pressed in a pneumatic press over a long, low-pressure cycle of two to two and a half hours, followed by twelve hours of static settling and a light addition of sulfites. The wines rest on their lees for an extended period and are bottled after sixteen to eighteen months.

The wines of Domaine Chantal Lescure

Bourgogne Blanc: from a small quarter-hectare plot on the plain south of Meursault, below Charmes Dessous, in the Les Pellands lieu-dit. The sandy clay soil produces a supple, easy-drinking Chardonnay with white flower and citrus notes and a lovely fresh finish. An honest, appealing entry-level wine.

Bourgogne Rouge Les Verduns: Pinot Noir from the plains, vinified with the same care as the crus, on clay-limestone soils. Crisp red fruit, cherry and raspberry, fine tannins and a lithe palate. A Burgundy to enjoy right away that already shows the estate’s pure signature style.

Bourgogne Rouge Les Taupes Maison Dieu: the second regional red cuvée, fleshier and lightly spiced. It offers blackberry, violet and a subtle mineral thread. An excellent introduction to the range, ready to drink within three to five years.

Côte de Beaune Blanc La Grande Châtelaine: a Chardonnay aged with restraint and showing lovely freshness. The nose combines pear, lemon and fresh almond; the palate remains focused and savory. A very approachable, food-friendly white, perfect with freshwater fish and goat cheeses.

Côte de Beaune Le Clos des Topes Bizot (white and red): this clos, made in both colors, is one of the house’s distinctive offerings. The white has a taut texture with flinty and citrus notes. The red is supple and fragrant, with wild strawberry and sweet spice and a silky texture.

Nuits-Saint-Georges Blanc: a rarity in the appellation, this vineyard planted in 1996 combines ninety-five percent Chardonnay and five percent Pinot Beurot. Located in a cool, late-ripening valley with highly limestone-rich soils, it produces an ambitious white marked by extended lees aging: rich, structured and mineral.

Meursault: a Côte de Beaune classic, this Meursault reveals notes of hazelnut, fresh butter and ripe yellow fruit. Extended lees aging lends richness and an enveloping texture, balanced by vibrant acidity. A white built for aging that gains complexity after four to six years.

Volnay: the appellation’s floral elegance is on full display here, with a nose of violet, strawberry and peony. The palate is refined, with silky tannins and remarkable persistence. One of the most delicate reds in the range.

Pommard Les Vignots: the estate’s flagship cuvée in the Côte de Beaune, fleshy and expressive even in its youth. Dark fruit, plum and peppery notes create a generous whole, supported by well-rounded tannins. It can be enjoyed fairly young while also aging well for ten years.

Pommard Les Vaumuriens: situated at higher elevation, this plot produces a Pommard with more tension and freshness than is typical of the appellation. Blackcurrant, blackberry and spice mingle with a pronounced mineral backbone. A wine of character that needs a few years to soften.

Pommard 1er Cru Les Bertins: a dense, firm and distinguished Premier Cru, highly representative of the Pommard style yet tempered by an elegance reminiscent of Volnay. The tannins are powerful and well structured, the dark fruit deep, and the oak aging perfectly integrated. A bottle built for long aging.

Beaune 1er Cru Les Chouacheux: this climat neighboring Pommard yields a structured, flavorful wine with notes of black cherry, licorice and forest floor. The palate is full, with a saline finish. An often underrated Premier Cru offering excellent value for money.

Nuits-Saint-Georges: a blend of several plots across the appellation, this village-level wine is the backbone of the estate’s range. It offers a fleshy, silky texture, with juicy red fruit lifted by floral and black tea notes. Complex and remarkably well balanced.

Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Creux Fraîches Eaux: located in the heart of the appellation, this plot produces a wine with aromas of blackberry, violet and pepper, enhanced by roasted notes from aging. The palate is dense, harmonious and long.

Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Damodes: just over a hectare across two plots planted twenty and thirty years ago, facing due east at an elevation of 320 meters on highly limestone-rich soils. Deliberately limited yields produce a fine, airy, mineral wine with delicate tannins, showing Nuits-Saint-Georges at its most refined.

Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Vallerots: a high-elevation Premier Cru on thin, stony soils, combining tension, precision and depth. Blackcurrant, ripe blackberry and a hint of mocha play off one another against a firm structure. A powerful, distinguished wine that calls for patience.

Chambolle-Musigny Les Mombies: the most floral and refined expression in the range, true to the appellation’s reputation for delicacy. Pale cherry color, a nose of violet and strawberry, a silky texture and remarkable persistence. Vinified in small wooden vats and aged for sixteen to eighteen months.

Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots: the estate’s showpiece, sourced from just 0.42 hectares in one of the Côte de Nuits’ most coveted climats, neighboring legendary properties. The bouquet combines blackberry, violet and exotic spices; the palate is full, velvety and mineral. Its intense ripeness and excellent aging potential warrant more ambitious barrel aging.

Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru: the pinnacle of the range, from a 0.3-hectare plot in the upper part of the clos, in the Montiotes Hautes lieu-dit, on poor, stony soil planted with vines that are sometimes over seventy years old. Fermented in wooden vats and aged with a substantial proportion of new barrels, it offers impressive richness and concentration, with blackcurrant, black cherry and sweet spice, fine tannins and a sumptuously long finish. A Grand Cru built for very long aging, to save for the finest occasions.