Anne et Hervé Sigaut

History of Domaine Anne et Hervé Sigaut

The story begins in the early 19th century, when a family originally from Morey-Saint-Denis put down roots in Chambolle-Musigny and gradually built up a heritage of vineyards. It was not until the early 1950s that Maurice Sigaut carried out the first estate bottlings, with a Chambolle-Musigny premier cru Les Sentiers quickly exported outside France. In 1977, his son Hervé took over his grandmother Andrée's vines and founded his own five-hectare estate, before later acquiring his father's plots.

A decisive turning point came with the arrival of Anne, a decorator and upholsterer originally from Nancy, who took part in her first harvest in 1984. In 1994, the estate made its entry into the Côte de Beaune with a plot in the Puligny-Montrachet appellation. Anne signed her first vintage in 2004 and brought a new rigour to both vineyard and cellar. Since Hervé's official retirement in 2008, she has managed the estate and has elevated its wines to among the reference points of the appellation, acclaimed by the international press for their brilliance and consistency.

Terroirs and Vineyards of Domaine Anne et Hervé Sigaut

Chambolle-Musigny extends across a narrow strip of just over 150 hectares, oriented north to south, where pinot noir reaches a form of perfection: aromas of blackberry and violet, a satin sensation on the palate. The estate possesses a remarkable diversity of terroirs here. To the south, Les Babillères, Les Chardannes, Aux Croix and Aux Combottes make up the village cuvée. Derrière le Four occupies the upper hillside, at the mouth of the valley, on a gravelly alluvial soil mixed with thick clay. Les Bussières, at the northern end, rests on hard Oligocene rock and carries sixty-year-old vines.

The premier crus complete the picture: Les Fuées, high up to the north, two of whose plots adjoin the grand cru Bonnes-Mares; Les Sentiers with its vines planted in 1947; Les Chatelots resting on Comblanchien limestone; Les Noirots set on the compact Premeaux limestone studded with chert; and Les Groseilles, on pebbles cemented by a salmon-pink argillaceous limestone. In Morey-Saint-Denis, Les Charrières and Les Millandes are added, and in Puligny-Montrachet the climat Les Enseignères, located beneath the grands crus Bâtard-Montrachet and Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet, ploughed by horse. The work in the vineyard is meticulous: strict yield control, systematic green harvesting plot by plot, abandonment of herbicides for more than a decade and respectful farming throughout the season.

Winemaking at Domaine Anne et Hervé Sigaut

The winemaking aims to be as non-interventionist as possible, true to the couple's conviction: pinot noir is a fragile grape variety that must be guided rather than constrained. Each year, a loyal team of around thirty harvesters picks by hand, into buckets and then into low-carried crates, in order to avoid any crushing of the grapes. The bunches pass over a vibrating sorting table, undergo a gentle destemming, and then flow into the vats by gravity, with the berries intact and the aromatic potential preserved.

A cold maceration is followed by fermentation conducted by indigenous yeasts, with gentle punch-downs and light extractions over eighteen to twenty days. Ageing then lasts twelve to fourteen months in oak barrels, with a sparing use of new wood — around 25% on average — adjusted according to the cuvée (15% for the village, 20% for Derrière le Four, 30% for Les Bussières). No superfluous equipment in the cellar: the human hand remains the best tool. It is the wine that decides when to be bottled, once its aromatic expression is at its most complete, and it will then need a minimum of five years of cellaring to reach its full potential.

The cuvées of Domaine Anne et Hervé Sigaut

Chambolle-Musigny village: from four lieux-dits spread around the village, across approximately one hectare of 35-year-old vines, this is an aromatic and approachable wine. Delicate small red fruits dominate, lifted by a touch of dried fruits, before a lively palate with fine tannins and a spiced finish. A superb introduction to the world of the appellation, to be served with white meat.

Chambolle-Musigny Les Babillères: this lieu-dit located to the south of the village, on the Vougeot side, forms the heart of the village and is the subject of a separate bottling in recent vintages. The wine gains in precision, with crunchy fruit, a chalky texture and that characteristic floral hint of Chambolle. Depending on the year, the estate also offers a cuvée from the climat Les Beaux Bruns.

Chambolle-Musigny Derrière le Four: a half-hectare of 45-year-old vines on the upper hillside, a late-ripening sector rich in clay. The colour is deeper, the nose hints at depth with blackberry and blackcurrant, the tannins are dense and firm and the finish is slightly tart. Aged with 20% new oak, this is a solid Chambolle that calls for red meat.

Chambolle-Musigny Les Bussières Vieilles Vignes: 37 ares of 60-year-old old vines, beneath the premier cru Les Sentiers, whose potential surpasses that of a village appellation. The nose delivers remarkable complexity, from pepper to full-blown rose, while the palate combines length, fine and dense tannins, and a menthol finish. An ideal balance, perfect with a saddle of rabbit with prunes.

Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Groseilles: 30 ares on the lower hillside, on a gentle slope, over pebbles and a salmon-pink argillaceous limestone. The name suits the wine perfectly — tart and easy to drink, with an initially discreet nose blending fruit and brioche notes. The palate, wrapped in smooth tannins, combines indulgence and freshness, for a successful match with a veal Marengo.

Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Chatelots: a half-hectare at the centre of the appellation, facing the valley, on poor soil resting on Comblanchien limestone. The nose unfolds raspberry and violet, underlined by integrated oak. Charming and fleshy, the palate offers immediate pleasure without sacrificing ageing potential. The most typified Chambolle-Musigny of the estate, ideal with a fillet of venison.

Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Noirots: a cuvée that joined the estate in 2004 with the acquisition of a half-hectare, on a south-facing slope over Premeaux limestone studded with chert. This well-sunlit sector yields an opulent and rich wine, with a nose that needs time to express itself fully. The fleshy palate unfolds its density with consistency and length, in a very harmonious whole, to be enjoyed with a poularde with morels.

Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Fuées: a half-hectare spread across three plots, two of which adjoin the grand cru Bonnes-Mares, with a fine elevated exposure to the north of the appellation. The delicate ageing brings in youth a toasted and spiced character that blends with the fruity notes. The palate rests on a fine tannic base and a fresh structure, with a mouth-watering length. A wine for cellaring, to be opened after five or six years alongside feathered game.

Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Sentiers Vieilles Vignes: the flagship cuvée of the estate, from 67 ares planted in 1947, beneath the grand cru Bonnes-Mares, on clay soils blending several geological eras. Intense colour, complex nose of black cherry and blackcurrant with a peppery edge, full palate and sustained retro-olfaction. A concentrated expression of Chambolle, remarkably consistent, to be paired with a Bresse capon.

Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Les Charrières: 62 ares in the northern part of the appellation, on a gentle slope beneath Clos de la Roche, on fairly deep soil. Expressive, the wine opens on small red fruits and raspberry, with a fine and delicate texture. The ageing, with 25% new oak, preserves this almost Chambolle-like elegance. A roast pigeon will suit it perfectly.

Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Les Millandes: 33 ares adjoining the lower part of Clos Saint-Denis, on what many consider to be the finest premier cru of the village. The small, concentrated grapes yield a nose of black fruit coulis and a palate that is both dense and harmonious, with a slightly balsamic finish. A great Burgundian pinot noir, complete and profound, whose ageing potential easily exceeds a decade.

Puligny-Montrachet Les Enseignères: the estate's only white wine, born from 20 ares of 65-year-old old vines acquired in 1994 and ploughed by horse, just below the grands crus Bâtard-Montrachet and Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. The nose elegantly unfolds citrus and white flowers, lifted by a vanilla hint. The perfectly balanced palate delivers a crystalline and harmonious chardonnay, to be served with a fillet of sea bass in beurre blanc.