Huguenot

History of Domaine Huguenot

The history of Domaine Huguenot Père et Fils has its roots in Marsannay-la-Côte dating back to the end of the 18th century. The Huguenot name appears countless times in the communal archives of Marsannay, and the family is "almost older than the church steeple" of the village. Winemakers since 1800, ten generations have succeeded one another on this 23-hectare estate, perpetuating the family wine tradition with a remarkable fidelity to ancestral terroirs. Over the decades, the estate has gradually grown through strategic acquisitions on the finest plots of Marsannay, Fixin, and Gevrey-Chambertin, some of which come from Philippe Huguenot's maternal grandfather, a winemaker in Fixin.

Today, it is Valérie and Philippe Huguenot who watch over the family estate, supported by their son who already represents the eleventh generation. Philippe Huguenot launched the conversion of the entire estate to organic farming in 2008. After an initial certification period obtained in 2013 with Ecocert, the estate unfortunately lost its label in 2016 following a frost period that devastated the vineyard. The organic conversion was relaunched in 2017, with a definitive certification obtained for the 2019 vintage.

Terroirs and Vines of Domaine Huguenot

The Domaine Huguenot vineyard extends over 23 hectares in the Côte de Nuits, spread across four prestigious appellations. In Marsannay — the largest village appellation in Burgundy and the golden gateway to the Côte de Nuits — the estate cultivates seven different cuvées (one rosé, one white, and five reds) on emblematic named plots: Champ-Salomon, Echezots, Grand Bois, Champs Perdrix (a 2.5-hectare plot in the south of the appellation, bordering Fixin), Montagne, Aux Genelières, and La Charme aux Prêtres (a 0.30-hectare plot acquired in 2014). In Fixin, the estate cultivates just over 2.5 hectares of fifty-year-old vines on clay and sandy marl soils.

In Gevrey-Chambertin, the estate has two village cuvées: Les Crais (a 2.5-hectare plot just below the main road) and Les Champs Vieilles Vignes (a single-plot cuvée from vines at least 80 years old, an inheritance from the maternal grandparents). At the south of the village, in the immediate vicinity of the Grands Crus, the estate cultivates the Premier Cru Les Fontenys (39 ares) and the Grand Cru Charmes-Chambertin (0.22 hectares acquired in the 1960s from the Dupont family, at the northern tip of the climat, in direct proximity to Griotte-Chambertin). The soils are typically Burgundian, marly-limestone and clay-limestone, with nuances specific to each climat. The entire estate is managed under certified organic farming certified by Ecocert. The harvests are entirely manual, a guarantee of optimal grape quality.

Winemaking at Domaine Huguenot

At the Marsannay-la-Côte cellar, Philippe Huguenot applies traditional winemaking methods, faithful to the great Burgundian tradition, while incorporating measured technical advances. For the reds, after rigorous sorting in the winery, the Pinot Noir grapes are vinified in vats with carefully controlled macerations, followed by attentively managed alcoholic fermentations. Punch-downs and pump-overs are measured, in pursuit of extraction with finesse, to preserve the purity of fruit and the aromatic elegance characteristic of the house style.

Aging is conducted with precision according to the appellations: 12 months for the Marsannay rouge Collection, 18 months for the Fixin and certain Gevrey cuvées, with a measured proportion of new oak that varies according to the climat. For the whites, certain cuvées (notably some Marsannay) are aged in 500-liter oak barrels for 10 months, combining aromatic complexity, concentration, and generosity while preserving the freshness of the Chardonnay. Bottling then takes place at the estate. The Bettane & Desseauve Guide praises "wines that are increasingly elegant with a pleasant fruitiness that seduces from their earliest youth" and "a spectacular acceleration in quality over the past few vintages".

The Cuvées of Domaine Huguenot

The Bourgogne Blanc is the estate's entry-level Chardonnay. A fresh and precise wine, marked by aromas of citrus, white flowers, and white fruits, with a taut palate and a saline finish — ideal for discovering the house style.

The Marsannay Blanc Collection is a blend of three named plots: Champ-Salomon, Echezots, and Grand Bois. A golden robe, a nose of yellow fruits and citrus, a broad and rounded palate that leads into beautiful mineral threads, with great length. A characterful and harmonious wine that can be enjoyed young or reveal its full typicity with time.

The Marsannay Blanc Aux Genelières is a refined single-plot cuvée. Pale, clear, and brilliant in color, with aromas of white flowers, yellow fruits, and aging notes. This fruity Marsannay with its silky texture pairs ideally with white meats and delicate fish, developing aromas of praline and honey with age.

The Marsannay Blanc rare is a confidential cuvée. Pale gold in color with brilliant reflections, a nose of white flowers that builds in intensity around peppery nuances and citrus, a round and suave palate, very fresh thanks to a fine tension and beautiful minerality — charming with a few years of aging.

The Marsannay Rosé is one of the emblematic specialties of the appellation, which is historically renowned for its Pinot Noir rosés. A fresh and thirst-quenching wine, marked by pure small red fruit aromas — ideal for aperitifs and summer meals.

The Marsannay Héritage (sometimes labeled Collection) is a blend of several climats, an emblematic signature of the estate. A brilliant ruby robe with violet hues, an elegant and expressive nose marked by aromas of fresh red fruits (cherry, raspberry) with subtle touches of undergrowth, violet, and spiced notes.

The Marsannay Champs Perdrix is a single-plot cuvée sourced from a large 2.5-hectare plot located at the far south of the appellation, bordering Fixin. A wine of complexity, freshness, and minerality — almost saline on the finish — combining the tension of Echezots and the richness of Montagne.

The Marsannay Montagne is a well-exposed cuvée, marked by sunshine. A rounder wine, marked by ripe fruit and a generous palate, in an accessible and warm style characteristic of the climat.

The Marsannay Echezots is a more austere single-plot cuvée that reveals its full nobility with time. A taut Pinot Noir, marked by a fine mineral backbone and precise tannic structure.

The Marsannay La Charme aux Prêtres is the estate's most recent acquisition (a 0.30-hectare plot purchased in 2014). A small single-plot cuvée, vinified separately to reveal the unique characteristics of this climat, in a parcel-level precision approach that characterizes the new generation of the estate.

The Côte de Nuits-Villages is a cuvée representative of the regional appellation. A balanced Pinot Noir, marked by red fruit aromas, a fine mineral backbone, and a silky palate characteristic of the house style.

The Fixin is a generous cuvée in volume, sourced from a vineyard of nearly 2.5 hectares on clay and sandy marl soils. A long aging of 18 months in oak barrels, yielding a gourmand Fixin with vibrant fruit, a silky texture, and a persistent finish.

The Gevrey-Chambertin Les Crais is a village cuvée sourced from a 2.5-hectare plot situated just below the main road. A structured Pinot Noir, marked by aromas of ripe dark fruits, soft spices, and undergrowth, supported by a solid tannic backbone characteristic of the queen appellation of red wines in the Côte de Nuits.

The Gevrey-Chambertin Les Champs Vieilles Vignes is a single-plot cuvée from vines at least 80 years old, an inheritance from Philippe Huguenot's maternal grandparents. A Pinot Noir of great breed, marked by exceptional aromatic concentration, deep aromas, and a noble tannic structure — built for long aging.

The Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Fontenys is one of the flagship wines of the estate. Sourced from 39 ares of this Premier Cru located in the immediate vicinity of the Grands Crus, this climat is always different from other Premiers Crus such as Lavaut Saint-Jacques or Les Cazetiers, and is closer in style to Mazis-Chambertin with its power and structure. A wine of character and great aromatic finesse, endowed with good body and remarkable balance.

The Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru is the absolute jewel of the estate. Sourced from a 0.22-hectare plot acquired in the 1960s by the grandfather from the Dupont family, located at the northern tip of the climat, in direct proximity to Griotte-Chambertin, from which it is separated only by a simple path. Vines of 40 years, very stony soil with practically no arable earth, which gives the Pinot Noir very elegant and silky tannins, in the great finesse characteristic of Clos de Bèze and Griotte-Chambertin. Confidential production of approximately 1,000 bottles per year.