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BURGUNDY
– STYLE –
effective is in the tasting... when people actually taste the
wines. “Our wines sell well, once we get people to taste
them. People rarely come to us, however, on their own
initiative”, explains Matthieu Dangin, winemaker and
winegrower at Molesme, in the Châtillonnais. Too often
compared to Champagne, Crémant de Bourgogne suffers
from a lack of awareness. “It’s all about image: you’ll
always make more of an impression with a €10 bottle
of Champagne than you will with a similarly priced
Crémant, and yet, one is an entry-level wine, whereas a
€10 Crémant is already high-end”.
IN CHAMPAGNE’S SHADOW
The comparison infuriates Sylvain Martinand, who
cannot imagine pitting one still wine region against
another. “We would never compare a Pommard to a
Haut-Brion, or a top white Burgundy to a Condrieu!
Crémant de Bourgogne encapsulates our culture and
expertise, it is not meant to be compared with the
most basic wines from another AOC. There is room for
everyone!” Comparisons may well persist in France, but
when it comes to exports, Crémant de Bourgogne is on a
roll: 44% of the wines are sold outside France, from the
United Kingdom to Italy, via North America, Asia and
Scandinavia. The percentage is constantly rising, and the
pandemic barely put a dent in it. Burgundy sparkling
wine undeniably has a bright future ahead of it!
Burgundy’s premier grape varieties Pinot noir and Chardonnay hold a
majority share of the Crémant blend. The wine must contain at least
30% of one of the two varieties
DOMAINE GUILLEMAN, AN UNEXPECTED
CRÉMANT WITH A DIFFERENCE
Welcome to Haute-Bourgogne, aka the Châtillonnais.
Located over an hour and a half from Beaune, the
Marcenay wine region seems to have more in common
with neighbouring Champagne, barely 25 kms away.
From a philosophical perspective, Fabien Guilleman’s
heart is split between the two. “I studied in Burgundy
and did my placement in Champagne”, he quips. One
all, next question. Since then, Guilleman has been
managing his 4.5 hectares of vines with one objective: to
stand out from the crowd. Here, Crémant de Bourgogne
has a virtual monopoly over production. At Domaine
Guilleman, sparkling wine accounts for 95% of the
10,000 bottles produced annually. “I don’t even make
Bourgogne every year”, admits Guilleman. From vine
pruning – where the canes are left longer to retain acidity
Made using the traditional method, Crémants de
Bourgogne are riddled and disgorged by hand
SUMMER 2021 GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE 29