Derain

History of Domaine Derain

Dominique Derain began his career as a cooper before training in viticulture and oenology in Beaune. In 1988, together with his wife Catherine, he acquired 5.5 hectares of vines in Saint-Aubin, south of Beaune, and immediately committed the estate to biodynamic farming. The wines were certified as early as 1989 by Ecocert, making it one of the very first Burgundian properties to take that step. At a time when such convictions were deemed too militant and too far removed from the management of large estates, Dominique Derain spent three decades proving the merits of his approach through the bottle.

Its wines, pure and radiant, quickly became totems in the small world of natural wine, celebrated well beyond the borders of France. In 2002, Julien Altaber joined the estate and became its loyal right-hand man for nearly fifteen years. At the end of 2016, upon retiring, Dominique Derain chose to hand everything over to Julien Altaber and Carole Schwab, who also run Maison Sextant. The master remains active in the vineyard and the cellar when he is not travelling for collaborative cuvées, but the succession is fully assured. Since this handover, considered one of the finest in French natural wine of the last decade, the wines have even gained in power and definition, while retaining the characteristic purity of the estate.

Terroirs and Vines of Domaine Derain

The vineyard extends over approximately 5.5 to 6 hectares, divided into numerous small plots scattered around the Montrachet hill and in the Saint-Aubin combe, with incursions into Pommard in the Côte de Beaune, and Mercurey in the Côte Chalonnaise. Saint-Aubin remains one of Burgundy's best-kept secrets: its vines directly border the premier crus of Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet, without reaching their prices. The combe, cooler and more windswept, provides precious natural acidity and gives the chardonnays their characteristic tension.

The soils alternate between red clays, marls, and limestone scree depending on the climat, with each plot requiring specific management. The philosophy is to intervene as little as possible, both in the vineyard and in the cellar. Horn manure, silica, and plant-based preparations punctuate the biodynamic calendar, with no synthetic chemical products whatsoever. Yields are deliberately low, which accounts for the modest size of the production. Some plots harbour very old vines, such as the Mercurey parcel planted about a hundred years ago by Dominique Derain's grandfather, where a few rows of pinot beurot still mingle with the pinot noir.

Vinifications at Domaine Derain

The estate's credo can be summed up in one word: non-intervention. Harvesting is done by hand, carefully sorted, and fermentations start spontaneously with only indigenous yeasts. No oenological inputs are added, no corrections are made, and sulfur is used in an extremely sparing manner, sometimes not at all. The reds are now mostly destemmed, which accentuates the purity of the fruit and makes the wines immediately appealing, without diminishing their ageing potential in the superior cuvées.

Macerations are gentle and brief, without forced extraction, in a constant pursuit of drinkability. The whites are delicately pressed and then aged in old barrels — Dominique Derain's former career as a cooper being no stranger to the meticulous selection of wood. The ageing is carried out without excessive lees-stirring, without fining or filtration, and bottlings follow the lunar calendar. The result is wines that are lively, precise, and very digestible, where the energy of the terroir takes precedence over any technical demonstration. The whites stand out for their saline directness, the reds for their crunchy fruit and fine tannins.

The Cuvées of Domaine Derain

Bourgogne Blanc « Landre »: a single-plot chardonnay from the outskirts of Saint-Aubin, vinified with the same exacting standards as the crus. It plays on immediate freshness, with citrus and white flowers, a fluid palate, and a clean finish. A luminous introduction to the world of the estate.

Bourgogne Blanc « La Combe »: one of the cuvées that has become a reference at the estate, celebrated for its finesse and its faithful reading of the terroir. Born in the coolness of the combe, it offers a taut, crystalline white with notes of lemon, flint, and fresh almond, with a persistent salinity. A model of generic Burgundy.

Bourgogne « La Corvée aux Moines »: a plot with a name steeped in monastic history, yielding a white that is somewhat broader and more textured than the previous ones. Ripe white fruits, a hint of hazelnut, and a mineral framework compose a harmonious, indulgent yet always lively wine on the finish.

Vin de France Aligoté: a tribute to the small Burgundian white grape variety, long overlooked. Lively, crystalline, and thirst-quenching, it unfolds lime, green apple, and a sharp acidity, without the slightest artifice. The ultimate easy-drinking wine, perfect as an aperitif or with shellfish.

Saint-Aubin Blanc: the village-level chardonnay cuvée, a blend of several plots from the combe. The white fruit is clean, the palate taut and luminous, driven by a fresh energy and a mouth-watering finish that cleanses the palate. Nothing is forced, everything is balanced, with a true sense of minerality and structure.

Saint-Aubin Blanc « En Vesvau »: a single-plot cuvée of pure and frank character, moving forward with quiet confidence. The white fruit is radiant, the framework straight and mineral, the finish long and mouth-watering. A wine of character, already very expressive in its youth but endowed with fine ageing potential. Superb with seafood or grilled fish.

Saint-Aubin 1er Cru « Sur le Sentier du Clou »: a vibrant premier cru, marked by brilliant freshness and great precision. The palate is direct and fluid, with luminous fruit and a tension that structures the whole without ever sacrificing depth. The finish is clean, saline, and very thirst-quenching. An energetic Saint-Aubin, full of promise, ideal with vegetables or delicate fish.

Saint-Aubin 1er Cru « Les Combes au Sud »: from red soils, this premier cru displays a very fine balance between substance and freshness. Broader and more fleshy than the estate's other whites, it retains a vibrant acidity and a mineral finish. Many consider it one of the very finest whites produced at the estate.

Saint-Aubin 1er Cru « En Remilly »: a direct neighbour of Chevalier-Montrachet, this prestigious climat yields a wine still brimming with energy in its youth, where tension dominates while hinting at a beautiful depth. The palate is precise and structured, the texture fine, the finish long, mineral, and very persistent. It gains greatly from aeration and gradually reveals itself in all its complexity. A great white in the making.

Saint-Aubin 1er Cru « Murgers des Dents de Chien »: one of the most renowned climats of the appellation, with very stony soils riddled with limestone fragments. The wine acquires an almost razor-sharp chalky minerality, with aromas of citrus, white flowers, and gunflint, and a finish of great length. A premier cru built for ageing.

Bourgogne Rouge « Les Riaux »: a single-plot pinot noir, destemmed and vinified gently, offering a wine of immediate pleasure. Cherry, wild strawberry, and a hint of spice dominate, on a juicy palate with fine tannins and stimulating acidity. The estate's "friends' wine," remarkably easy to drink.

Saint-Aubin Rouge « Le Ban »: a historic cuvée of the estate, born from a terroir that imprints the wine with a fine, unashamed rusticity. The colour is deep, the nose fine and nuanced, the palate full of finesse with a free and sapid fruit, before a firm and rectilinear finish that is the signature of this place. An authentic red Saint-Aubin, swimming against the tide of polished pinots.

Saint-Aubin 1er Cru « Le Puits »: the estate's red premier cru, more powerful and more closed. Black fruits dominate — blackcurrant and blackberry — with a dense substance and a pronounced tannic framework in its youth. It calls for a few years of cellaring to integrate and reveal its full dimension.

Mercurey « La Plante Chassey »: an emblematic cuvée from 0.90 hectares of old vines with a south and south-east exposure, planted about a hundred years ago by Dominique Derain's grandfather on deep, fine clay soils. A few rows of pinot beurot complement the pinot noir. The profile is more structured, with a substance that is prominent but never heavy, ripe and restrained fruit, a precise and very approachable finish. The depth of the terroir is expressed with finesse and restraint. Perfect with roasted meat or a mushroom dish.

Pommard « Les Petits Noizons »: the estate's foray into one of the great red villages of the Côte de Beaune, on a climat renowned for producing more supple and accessible Pommards when young. The wine combines the structure typical of the appellation with the drinkability dear to the estate, featuring ripe black fruits, spices, and well-rounded tannins.

Gevrey-Chambertin: a rarer cuvée, produced depending on the vintage, which takes the Derain style into the Côte de Nuits. Black fruits, spices, and notes of undergrowth are balanced here, with a firmer structure and a fine ageing potential.

« Allez-Goutons »: a cuvée with a mischievous name, true to the estate's playful spirit. The ultimate wine for sharing, it relies on crunchy fruit, freshness, and immediate drinkability, without the slightest compromise on the cleanliness of the juice.

« Passe Tout D'rain »: a playful nod to the Burgundian passetoutgrain, this blend of pinot noir and gamay humorously revisits an old regional tradition. Light, easy-drinking, and bursting with fruit, it is best served chilled and is a reminder that wine should above all bring pleasure.

« Chute Derain »: another fantasy cuvée from the estate, born of small volumes and free blends depending on the vintage. Always different, it embodies the domain's spirit of experimentation, with vibrant fruit, a supple framework, and that natural energy which is the hallmark of all the Saint-Aubin wines from the Derain family.