Many producers in the Bourgogne, in particular at the high-end, export the overwhelming share of their production. Domaine Faiveley in Nuits Saint Georges for example, which we also visited on the tour, does not sell any wine on the premises and very little in France; most of its wines are exported. Domaine du Château de Prémeaux, also in Nuits Saint Georges, is on the opposite end of the spectrum: it sells most of its wines to customers at the winery and exports very little; prices are in the 7 to 30 Euros range.
For the visit of Domaine Faiveley, see: Domaine Faiveley in Nuits-Saint-George: Cellar Tour and Wine Tasting with Mathilde Nicolas (Brand Ambassador) – Bourgogne Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France
We got to know Château de Prémeaux through Alain and Sophie Meunier, Domaine Jean-Jacques Confuron, in Nuits Saint Georges. We had met Alain and Sophie at a winemaker dinner in Washington DC and scheduled a tasting with them for the Bourgogne Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015). The tasting did not come through and Alain and Sophie suggested to contact their friend and colleague Arnaud Pelletier of Château de Prémeaux.
Following a tour of the estate, we sat down in the yard of the winery and enjoyed a very lively and entertaining tasting. Arnaud Pelletier was our host. He was joined by Nicolas Drouhin, who is based in Berlin and sells wines of the Bourgogne in Germany. Also, Arnaud’s wife joined us.
Château de Prémeaux
Arnaud Pelletier: We are a family Domaine of 13ha producing ten or so appellations via the traditional methods. The harvest is done manually, the "cuvaison" lasts 15 days at temperatures not exceeding 30 degrees celcius. The "pressurage" is pneumatic and the wines are put in oak barrels to age for 16 to 18 months. The wine is then bottled without filtering or thickening.
In 1983 Alain Pelletier, the father of Arnaud, took over the family farm, formerly a Chateau which burned down before the French Revolution. A decisive man, he immediately stopped his father’s practice of selling off all their wine to negociants, and began estate bottling. He instituted a vigorous pruning program in the years that followed to improve the health of his vines and lower yields. In 1985 a major updating of the cave was done. In 1989-90, following the advice of his friends and neighbors Bertrand Ambroise and Alain Meunier (of Domaine Jean-Jacques Confuron), Alain Pelletier installed a sorting table and stopped fining and filtering all his red wines. In the latter 1990s he began tending his white wine vineyard organically, a practice he is gradually moving toward with all of his vineyards.
Nuits Saint Georges
Originally known as Nuits, or even Nuits-sous-Beaune, the town was happy to add the name of its finest vineyard, Les St Georges, in the 19th century. There are no Grands Crus, but many fine Premier Cru vineyards, the mayor of the time preferring not to single out any vineyard for the highest status. The most sought-after wines include Les Vaucrains, Les Cailles and Les St Georges itself.
Clives Coates: The appellation of Nuits-Saint-Georges divides neatly into three parts. North of the town the vines continue up to Vosne-Romanée; Nuits' Boudots marches with Vosne's Malconsorts. South of the town lies the heart of Nuits-Saint-Georges, which includes the climats of Pruliers, Poirets (or Porrets), Cailles, Vaucrains and Les Saint-Georges itself, after which the commune takes its suffix. South of here, the commune comes to its end, but the wines of its neighbour, Prémeaux-Prissey, are entitled to be called Nuits-Saint-Georges. This is the third sector. Strangely, much of this area consists of monopoly vineyards. The wines neither have the finesse of those of the northern part of the appellation, nor the concentration of the middle section, but they have no shortage of depth. They also show the advantage of the individuality that comes from their being monopolies and made on a larger scale than some of their counterparts to the north.
Tasting
Vins Blancs
2014 Château de Prémeaux Aligoté
2013 Château de Prémeaux Bourgogne Blanc
2013 Château de Prémeaux Hautes-Côtes de Nuits
Vins Rouges
2012 Château de Prémeaux Côtes de Nuits Villages
2013 Château de Prémeaux Gevrey-Chambertin
2011 Château de Prémeaux Nuits-Saint-Georges
2012 Château de Prémeaux Morey-Saint-Denis
2013 Château de Prémeaux Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er cru "Clos des Argillières"
Bye-bye
Thanks Arnaud for a wonderful tasting.
Postings on the Bourgogne Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France (Posted and Forthcoming)
Preview: Bourgogne Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015 and 2016)
Bourgogne Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France
Champagne Jean Josselin in Gyé-sur-Seine: Tour and Tasting with Jean Pierre Josselin - Bourgogne Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
The Wines of Tonnerre, France – Bourgogne Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Domaine Séguinot-Bordet in Maligny, Chablis: Tour and Tasting with Owner and Winemaker Jean-François Bordet – Bourgogne Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Domaine Brocard in Chablis: Lunch, Cellar Tour and Wine Tasting with Odile Van Der Moere, Responsable de Cave – Bourgogne Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Dinner at Hostellerie Chateau de la Barge in Creches-sur-Saone - Bourgogne Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Domaine Ferret in Fuissé, Poully-Fuissé, Mâconnais: Vineyard Walk, Cellar Tour and Wine Tasting with Cyril Laumain, Chef de Cave – Bourgogne Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Visit of the Abbey of Cluny and Lunch at Hostellerie d'Heloise in Cluny– Bourgogne Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Domaine Theulot Juillot in Mercurey, Côte Chalonnaise: Cellar Tour and Wine Tasting with Nathalie and Jean-Claude Theulot – Bourgogne Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France
Olivier Leflaive: Vineyard Walk and Cellar Tour, with Patrick Leflaive– Bourgogne Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France
Lunch and Winetasting at La Table de Olivier in Pouligny Montrachet– Bourgogne Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France
Wine Tasting at Domaine Mestre Père & Fils in Santenay with Jonathan Mestre - Bourgogne Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France
Visit: Domaine Bouchard Père & Fils in Beaune - Bourgogne Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015, France
Schiller's Favorite Wine Bars in Beaune, Bourgogne, France
Visit: Hospices de Beaune with Karoline Knoth– Bourgogne Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015)
Domaine A.-F. Gros in Beaune: Cellar Tour and Wine Tasting with Owner and Winemaker Mathias Parent – Bourgogne Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France
Visit and Tasting: Maison Joseph Drouhin in Beaune– Bourgogne Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France
Domaine Faiveley in Nuits-Saint-George: Cellar Tour and Wine Tasting with Mathilde Nicolas (Brand Ambassador) – Bourgogne Tour by ombiasy WineTours (2015), France
Wine Tasting at Domaine du Château de Prémeaux in Nuits Saint Georges with Owner and Winemaker Arnaud Pelletier
Domaine Armelle et Bernard Rion in Vosne-Romanée: Cellar Tour and Wine Tasting with Bernard Rion and Alice Rion
Domaine Guillon & Fils in Gevrey Chambertin: Cellar Tour and Wine Tasting with Jean-Michel Guillon
Visit: Château du Clos de Vougeot
Announcement: 5 Exciting ombiasy WineTours in 2016 - BURGUNDY BORDEAUX GERMANY