Antoine Lienhardt

Four generations in Comblanchien

The history of this family begins with Gustave Guyot, who purchased land in the late 19th century. A photograph taken in 1904 shows him standing on top of a grape-pressing machine, with his brother, George, standing behind him and 16-year-old Anselme standing in front of him. Anselme was Gustave's son and later inherited and managed the estate.

Next, Maurice Guyot, Anselme's only son, took over. Maurice was one of the first winemakers in the Comblanchien region to deviate completely from the practices of the time by bottling and selling his wine directly, rather than selling it to wholesalers. His wine earned a reputation for being smooth and richly fruity.

Maurice retired in 1992. He passed away on the 18th of June, 2018, at the age of 95, and a photograph taken two years prior with his grandson in the estate's tasting room remains.

Antoine Lienhardt took over the domaine in 2011, nearly 20 years after his family had stopped tending the vineyards. Prior to that, he had spent several years in other regions, including Chablis, Chambolle-Musigny, and South Africa. His return to his hometown was not the result of an inheritance he happened to receive, but a decision he made himself.

Between Dijon and Beaune

Domaine Antoine Lienhardt is located in Comblanchien, in the southern part of Côte de Nuits, roughly halfway between Dijon and Beaune. Rather than being a wine tourism destination, this is a village with a history of quarrying, where people still make their living from this trade.

The vineyards are not concentrated in a single commune. The local Côte de Nuits-Villages vineyards form the foundation, and further north, a considerable drive away, are two Grand Cru regions: Clos de Vougeot and Charmes-Chambertin, the latter in Gevrey-Chambertin.

Furthermore, this winery's holdings do not end at the border of Côte de Nuits. They also include white wines from Meursault, which belongs to Côte de Beaune, and wines from the lieu-dit of Sous la Velle, located north of the village.

Here, too, Aligoté plays a significant role, which suggests several things. While many growers treat Aligoté as a leftovers variety, planted in areas where better varieties won't grow, Lienhardt carefully ages its Aligoté.

Pinot, Chardonnay, and a champion of Aligoté

The varieties are named after their regions of origin, and there are only three in total.

• All red wines, from Côte de Nuits-Villages to Grand Cru, are Pinot Noir
• Chardonnay in Meursault
• Aligoté: This is not blended but is bottled as Bourgogne Aligoté

Since grape varieties are not blended, there are no proportions listed. The only blending that occurs is during the final stage, the aging process, when wines aged in different containers are combined into a single bottle.

Whole bunches, stainless steel, and clay

All grapes are harvested by hand, and every cuvée is fermented whole, including the stems, without any destemming. This is not merely a preference but a firm conviction, and it has a greater influence than any other factor in shaping the texture of the red wines produced at the winery.

Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks. The aging period in the tanks is kept short, and the decision to use either foulage (crushing the grapes) or remontage (pumping the juice to the top of the tank) is determined on a tank-by-tank basis depending on the condition of each tank. No additives are used during this process.

White wine undergoes a different process. Rather than being transferred to tanks, it goes directly from the press to barrels for fermentation.

During the aging phase, a portion of the wine is transferred to the barrel cellar by gravity. The remainder is stored in concrete eggs and stone jars. Antoine Lienhardt has stated that he intends to age approximately one-third of the harvest in amphorae, concrete, and clay containers, while the rest will be aged in oak barrels of various sizes and from different manufacturers. Currently, his preferred oak barrel manufacturer is Stockinger, and he uses 400-liter casks instead of the standard small Burgundian oak barrels.

The two methods produce different characteristics. Wines aged in amphorae have a lighter, more supple character, whereas those aged in oak barrels possess a firmer, more pronounced flavor profile. Since all the wines are blended before bottling, the key is to understand what characteristics each container contributes.

The aging period is gradually increasing. For white wines, the aging period has been extended to 22 months to enhance complexity and stability, and the 2022 vintage of white wine was bottled without any added sulfites. 

What the estate bottles

Although the product lineup is small, it is structured in ascending order based on ambitious goals. Côte de Nuits-Villages Emphase is the flagship wine produced in the appellation surrounding the wine cellar located at Comblanchien.

Above it are two Grand Crus: Clos de Vougeot and Charmes Chambertin. Both wines are Pinot Noir, are made using whole-bunch fermentation, and are produced from vineyards located well north of the village. For a winery of this size, simply owning one of these vineyards is noteworthy; owning both is exceptional.

In the white wine category, Meursault Sous la Velle is a single-vineyard wine, while Bourgogne Aligoté is a wine produced through experimental winemaking. There is also a version labeled 35 Mois d'Élevage, which was aged for 35 months in a single oak barrel; though initially started as an experiment, it eventually made it to bottling. It is extremely rare for Aligoté to undergo three years of oak aging.

This winery also produces a variety of other wines. A cuvée called Grand Crew has appeared in recent vintages, and the product lineup changes as the winemaking process varies from year to year.

What to know before buying: These wines differ from the smooth, oaky Burgundies. Whole-cluster fermentation, no additives, and long-term aging in a variety of vessels, this combination results in wines characterized by a solid structure and vibrancy rather than opulence.