David Duband

The History of Domaine David Duband

The story begins in the early 1960s, when Pierre Duband established his wine estate in Chevannes, in the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits. At the time, he did not bottle his wine: his harvest went to the cooperative winery. Everything changed in 1991, when his son David, then twenty, took over the family operation and decided to make the wine himself. Around the same time came a decisive meeting with François Feuillet, a businessman who had fallen in love with the region. Feuillet acquired exceptional terroirs in the Côte de Nuits and entrusted David Duband with all vineyard management and winemaking. Their partnership as owner and winemaker has become one of the most fruitful in contemporary Burgundy.

The estate then grew in stages. In 2006, it took over seven hectares from the former Domaine Truchot in Morey-Saint-Denis, including the Clos de la Roche and Charmes-Chambertin grands crus, an acquisition that transformed its scale. In 2007, a modern winery and barrel cellar were built. Chambertin and Latricières-Chambertin joined the grand cru collection in 2009. At the same time, the style changed profoundly. Like many winemakers of his generation, David Duband began by producing dense, concentrated wines, often marked by oak. He gradually moved toward finesse, fully embracing the shift from the 2008 vintage onward with whole-cluster vinification. Wine guides have recognized this rise: La Revue du Vin de France and the Bettane & Desseauve guide now rank the estate among the very best in the Côte de Nuits.

The Terroirs and Vines of Domaine David Duband

The estate farms around 17 hectares of its own and occasionally supplements production with grapes from a few small growers who share its environmental philosophy. Its heartland remains Chevannes in the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits, a vineyard of rugged beauty at an altitude of 300 to 400 meters. There, vines grow on the sides of valleys cut into the Jurassic limestone plateaus west of the Côte. The soils formed through the weathering of the underlying limestone and marl, while the altitude brings welcome freshness in hot vintages.

From there, the estate’s plots extend down toward the great climats of the Côte de Nuits. In Nuits-Saint-Georges, the northern sector lies on stony silt washed down from the Côte and alluvium from the Meuzin valley. In the south, deep silt at the foot of the slope gives way to exposed rock at the top. The estate’s Gevrey-Chambertin comes from neighboring Brochon and yields a masculine yet very elegant wine without aggressive tannins. Its holdings also include Vosne-Romanée, Chambolle-Musigny, Morey-Saint-Denis, Vougeot and Flagey-Echézeaux. Mindful of the environment and the quality of his wines, David Duband chose organic farming in 2006: no chemical herbicides, plowed soils and practices that respect living ecosystems. He has since observed that his wines age better.

Winemaking at Domaine David Duband

Harvesting is entirely by hand, and the grapes are crushed underfoot in the most authentic Burgundian tradition. Since 2008, David Duband has favored whole-cluster vinification, keeping 60 to 80% of the bunches intact during maceration in tanks. The stems’ refined bitterness brings structure, finesse and elegance to the Pinot Noir while building a fresher, more floral aromatic profile. Maceration is gentle, without heavy extraction, in a constant pursuit of pure fruit.

Aging takes place in the barrel cellar built in 2007, with deliberately restrained use of new oak. Where the estate once produced heavily oaked wines, it now makes pared-back cuvées that put fruit and terroir ahead of artifice. The result is vibrant, distinctive wines that express the subtlety and remarkable diversity of Burgundy’s climats, with aging potential often exceeding fifteen years for the grands crus. This precise, graceful style explains why the estate’s wines feature on the lists of most French restaurants holding three Michelin stars.

The Wines of Domaine David Duband

Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Blanc: the range’s only white, this high-altitude Chardonnay comes from the slopes of Chevannes. Fresh and taut, it offers aromas of citrus and white flowers with a hint of almond, and a focused, saline palate. A balanced, easy-drinking white, perfect with fish or goat cheese.

Bourgogne Pinot Noir: the entry point to the range, vinified with the same care as the crus. Its red fruit is crisp, its structure supple and fresh, and its tannins mellow. An appealing Pinot Noir that is approachable young and already gives a true sense of the house style.

Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits “Louis Auguste”: an emblematic cuvée from the estate’s home appellation, made from vines at altitudes of 300 to 400 meters. Denser and more structured than the Bourgogne, it offers ripe black fruit, a hint of spice and lovely high-altitude freshness. Excellent value; open after two or three years in the cellar.

Côte de Nuits Villages: a blend from villages on the edges of the Côte de Nuits, offering a straightforward, flavorful Pinot Noir with cherry and sweet spice, and a firm yet well-rounded structure. A complete, versatile wine for the table.

Nuits-Saint-Georges: the village cuvée is pure, lively and radiant, already approachable in its youth. Red fruit dominates, supported by fine minerality and precise tannins. A clear expression of the appellation, far removed from the sometimes rustic Nuits wines of the past.

Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru “Aux Thorey”: this premier cru in the north of the appellation, toward Vosne-Romanée, produces a finely etched wine with a long, slender sense of minerality. The palate is sleek and precise, carried by fine tannins and a direct finish. An elegant, distinctive expression of Nuits-Saint-Georges.

Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru “Les Procès”: a small appellation of just 1.5 hectares shared among three prestigious estates, it stands out for its pronounced minerality, particularly in sunny vintages. The wine is full, firm, rich and ripe, with remarkable depth. One of the estate’s signature crus.

Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru “Les Pruliers”: this climat evokes cherry with its fresh, tart character while carrying the minerality of great Nuits-Saint-Georges in its DNA. The structure is solid and the tannins tight in youth; the wine benefits greatly from a few years of aging. A premier cru with character.

Vosne-Romanée: this village cuvée from one of the Côte de Nuits’ great names brings its spiced sensuality to the range. Ripe red fruit, floral notes and a hint of undergrowth create a generous, velvety whole, with the length and distinctive character typical of the village.

Chambolle-Musigny: Chambolle finesse in its purest form, with a floral nose of rose and violet and a silky palate with delicate, lace-like tannins. A village wine of great elegance and immediate appeal.

Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru “Les Sentiers”: neighboring Bonnes-Mares, this premier cru produces a dense, very long and lush wine that remains unfailingly fine. It combines generous substance with a silky mouthfeel and remarkable length. One of the estate’s finest successes in Chambolle.

Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru “Les Gruenchers”: less celebrated than Les Amoureuses, this climat is also more approachable in its youth. Vinified by David Duband, it offers vibrant red fruit, pronounced floral aromas and a delicate texture: a refined premier cru that is immediately enjoyable.

Morey-Saint-Denis: compared with the village Nuits-Saint-Georges, this wine steps up in density thanks to a more pronounced structure. It combines black fruit, spice and chalky minerality with well-defined tannins. A faithful expression of this village between Gevrey and Chambolle.

Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru “Clos Sorbé”: this premier cru below the village has a distinctly recognizable sappy quality. Dense and deep, it combines black fruit, licorice and firm minerality with well-integrated tannins and a lingering finish.

Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru “Les Broc”: a little-known single-plot cuvée from the estate in Morey-Saint-Denis, offering a more taut, streamlined expression of the appellation, with lovely freshness of fruit and exceptionally precise aromatic definition.

Gevrey-Chambertin: from plots in the village of Brochon, this village wine is masculine yet very elegant, without aggressive tannins. Black fruit, spice and notes of undergrowth are in balance, with a serious structure that rewards a few years of patience.

Echézeaux Grand Cru: this grand cru from Flagey stays true to the character of the grape, pure and silky on the palate. Red fruit dances on the nose alongside sweet spice and a floral hint, while the palate reveals a fine texture and remarkable length. One of the range’s most charming grands crus.

Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru: the Côte de Nuits’ largest historic enclosed vineyard yields a generous, full-bodied wine with noble tannins and dense substance. Blackcurrant, spice and leather notes form a majestic whole built for very long aging.

Clos de la Roche Grand Cru: acquired along with the vines of the former Domaine Truchot, this Morey-Saint-Denis grand cru smells of brambles and wild black fruit. Its dense, concentrated fruit has great vitality, underpinned by deep minerality and powerful tannins. A wine for very long aging, often considered one of the estate’s finest.

Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru: from the Mazoyères sector and a nearly 90-year-old vineyard producing small, unevenly sized berries, it stands out for its power and fullness. Cherry and ripe black fruit dominate, with opulent substance and silky tannins. A critically acclaimed grand cru capable of aging for more than fifteen years.

Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru: added to the range in 2009, this grand cru is consistently more ethereal in its aromas than the estate’s other grands crus. Fresh as a breeze and delicate as a breath, it nevertheless draws its energy from the bedrock, with a powerful finish and striking minerality.

Chambertin Grand Cru: the absolute pinnacle, the king of Gevrey wines. Vinified with whole clusters, it is fine yet extraordinarily intense, combining unfathomable depth, an aristocratic tannic structure and seemingly endless length. Black fruit, spice, undergrowth and floral notes unfold in layers with rare precision. This wine needs many years in the cellar before revealing its full stature.