Domaine Machard de Gramont
Most Burgundy growers purchased their vineyards. Machard de Gramont cleared the land. Based in the village of Prissey, just south of Nuits-Saint-Georges, this family-owned vineyard was built primarily around old hillside vineyards that had been abandoned due to war and phylloxera and never replanted. This is because cultivating slopes is much more expensive than cultivating flat land. Arnaud Machard de Gramont runs this vineyard alongside his sons, Alban and Alexis; the vines are scattered throughout Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune rather than concentrated in a single village. The harvest is done by hand, fermentation takes place using natural yeasts, and the wine is bottled without filtration. Aging occurs in a 19th-century vaulted cellar, whose arched structure lends the space a cathedral-like atmosphere.
The history
The name Machard de Gramont was once attached to a single 32-hectare estate stretching from Vosne-Romanée to Pommard, extending as far as Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet, where three brothers jointly managed the vineyards and residences.
This arrangement came to an end due to a divorce and a death in the family. In the early 1980s, the property was divided into three parts: Domaine Chantal Lescure, located at Nuits-Saint-Georges; Domaine Machard de Gramont, located at Prémeaux-Prissey; and Bertrand Machard de Gramont, a third, smaller estate that was newly established. According to records, the division appears to have taken place in 1983 or 1984, though opinions vary depending on the source.
What followed at Prissey was a long-term land reclamation effort. Restoring the hillside land, which had not been cultivated for decades, became this farm's signature project, and it remains a distinguishing feature that sets it apart from neighboring farms that cultivate land that is easier to work.
The vineyards
The vineyard plots of Domaine Machard de Gramont are scattered across nearly 50 kilometers, stretching from the southern edge of Dijon, located in Chenôve, to the border of Puligny-Montrachet.
A significant portion of this area consists of hillside slopes. These slopes were abandoned after the phylloxera epidemic and the war, and because they are more expensive to cultivate than flat land, they had been excluded from production. Over the years, the vineyard owner has been purchasing small plots, clearing brush, and replanting vines.
The age of the vines reflects this history. The average age is about 30 years, and some plots date back as far as 1914. Located between two Côtes zones, this vineyard contains vines in the Nuits-Saint-Georges, Savigny-lès-Beaune, Aloxe-Corton, Chorey-lès-Beaune, Pommard, and Puligny-Montrachet zones.
Chalk, clay and slope
Limestone underlies nearly the entire region. The Machard de Gramont's vines are planted in chalky soil composed of a mixture of clay and limestone, and this soil composition varies from plot to plot within the two Côtes zones.
The rest is determined by the slope. The hilly terrain offers good drainage and low water retention, while the steepness is precisely why cultivation costs are high, but also why the wines produced here are more robust and crisp.
Some plots possess even more distinctive characteristics. In Nuits-Saint-Georges, located on the Vosne-Romanée side of the commune, the fine gravel in the soil lends the wine a softer texture rather than adding weight to the glass.
The grapes
The grapes cultivated are pinot noir and chardonnay.
Natural yeasts, no filter
All grapes are harvested by hand and carefully sorted before being brought to the winery. For red wines, 10-20% of the grape clusters are fermented whole, allowing the stems to contribute just the right amount of flavor without becoming overly prominent.
Fermentation takes place at low temperatures in oak barrels using natural yeasts present on the fruit. Malolactic fermentation, the secondary fermentation that softens the acidity, is permitted only when analysis confirms that the wine is ready for it.
The aging period is 12-18 months. The oak barrel blend is unusual for a Burgundy wine: it uses both French and American barrels, with a blend of 10-25% new oak barrels depending on the specific wine. Bottling takes place at the domaine without filtration.
From Le Chapitre to Les Gaudichots
Domaine Machard de Gramont covers a very large area for a 20-hectare vineyard, and its spread of appellations makes it look as if you're looking at a map combining two Côtes vineyards.
The Côte de Nuits area includes Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Gaudichots, at the village level, there is Nuits-Saint-Georges produced in En La Perrière Noblot and the Premier Cru Les Damodes located in the Vosne-Romanée area within the commune.
Further south, in the Côte de Beaune region, there are Chorey-lès-Beaune Les Beaumonts, Savigny-lès-Beaune, and Premier Cru Aux Guettes; for white wines, there is Puligny-Montrachet Les Houilères. Pommard and Aloxe-Corton are also included in this vineyard's lineup.
And at the northern end is Bourgogne Le Chapitre, a red wine produced from the named lieu-dit near Dijon; it is one of only three wines allowed to bear the lieu-dit name under the simple Bourgogne appellation.
Frequently asked questions
Where is Domaine Machard de Gramont based?
In the village of Prissey, at the southern end of Nuits-Saint-Georges and close to Premeaux-Prissey, in the Côte de Nuits.
Are Domaine Machard de Gramont and Domaine Bertrand Machard de Gramont the same estate?
No. Both came out of the same family division in the early 1980s, but they are separate businesses. Bertrand's estate, later run by his daughter Axelle, farms around six hectares and is certified organic.
Who makes the wine?
Arnaud Machard de Gramont, working with his sons Alban and Alexis.
What is unusual about the cellar?
It dates from the nineteenth century and has vaulted ceilings high enough to give the barrel room a church-like scale.
