Michel Niellon's property consists of six hectares in the Chassagne-Montrachet municipal appellation in Côte de Beaune. The vineyards are located at an altitude of 200 to 400 meters. A large part of the vineyards is still planted with the vines planted by Marcel Niellon in 1926. When vines need to be replaced, clones are used that give a low yield. Low yielding vines produce grapes that are highly concentrated and of good quality.
The family business Domaine Michel Niellon was established in the nineteenth century by Michel's grandfather, Léon Niellon. In the 1960s, Michel took over from his father, Marcel Niellon. He quickly built a good reputation, not only within the region, but worldwide as well!
Both the Pinot Noir and the Chardonnay are picked by hand and instantly selected for quality. The fermentation is started by the natural yeasts that are present on the skin of the grape. The wines are aged in French barriques, of which 15% to 30% consists of new wood. The malolactic conversion and the sur lie maturation also take place in these wooden barrels. After a period of about 12 months, the wines are fined and filtered.
All of Michel's wines are elegant, very complex and of enormous length. The Bâtard-Montrachet is Michel's showpiece, but the premier cru Chassagne-Montrachet Clos st Jean is also of absolute top quality. It is with good reason that his wines are regularly awarded with great reviews and high scores from professional wine writers.
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