2020 Domaine Balland-Curtet Auxey Duresses Les Ecusseau

The terroir is located on a plot near the villages of Auxey-Duresses and Meursault. This southeastern plot is located at an altitude of 200 meters on clay-limestone soil. The vineyard consists of Chardonnay grapes and was planted in 1978 on an area of 14.55 ares. The vines are pruned according to the simple Guyot method, picked in the spring and cultivated rigorously. Here the soil is light and prone to erosion, which is why the soil is plowed shallowly. During the summer, the fight against diseases is waged in a sustainable way. After careful monitoring of ripeness, the grapes are harvested by hand and taken to a winery. The harvest is lightly trampled so that the juice flows after a light pressing. The juice is then settled. After the wine is placed in barrels by gravity, the must ferments in oak barrels. The wine ages further in French oak barriques, 30% of which are renewed annually. After 10 months of maturation on fine lees, the wine is blended and bottled after light filtration and then remains in the cellars for a number of months for bottle maturation.

The Auxey-Duresses Premier Cru – Les Ecusseaux is a very beautiful Burgundy, of course made from 100% Chardonnay and very 'Mersault-like' and that is not surprising because this Premier Cru vineyard is located south of Meursault. In the glass, the Les Ecusseaux has a bright, fresh straw yellow color with notes of citrus, green and yellow apple, fresh almonds and a hint of brioche in the nose. This wine is medium-to-full bodied but everything is very controlled with a perfect balance between fruit and acidity. A great wine with many dishes and of course a winner with a Fruit du Mer platter, fried and grilled fish, lobster, crab or mussels.

About Domaine Balland-Curtet

Domaine Balland-Curtet is above all a story of friendship between two families who have a common passion for wine. In 1994, this friendship was sealed by the purchase of their first vineyard in Volnay. The Burgundian branch on the Balland family side already owned vineyards in Auxey-Duresses. This was therefore favorable for the choice of this beautiful wine-growing area. As time passed, the wine estate had the opportunity to acquire other plots to offer today a selection of wines on the site: three villages: Auxey-Duresses, Chassagne-Montrachet and Volnay, but also three Premier Crus: Auxey-Duresses Les Ecusseaux, Puligny-Montrachet Sous le Puits and Puligny-Montrachet La Garenne.

About Auxey-Duresses

Auxey-Duresses is located west of Meursault. It is a small appellation (135 hectares), in which both red and white wine are made. The red wines mainly come from the limestone south slope of the Montage du Bourbon, the white from the northeast-oriented vineyards towards Meursault. Auxey-Duresses is an affordable alternative to Meursault and Volnay by Burgundian standards.

Auxey-Duresses is a village in the Côte de Beaune sub-region of Burgundy and produces wines from the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grape varieties. Since 1937 it has had its own municipal appellation. Auxey-Duresses has approximately 93 hectares (230 acres) of vineyards planted to Pinot Noir, including 27 hectares (67 acres) classified as Premier Cru. There are 40 hectares (99 acres) of Chardonnay, with only 2 hectares (5 acres) of Premier Cru vines. The hills of Auxey-Duresses have an excellent south and southeast orientation. The village has a continental climate. This fact, together with the high percentage of limestone in the local soils, means that these vineyards are well placed to produce very high quality wines. The nine Premier Cru rated climates are all located on the south-facing hillside of Montagne de Bourdon, just behind the village