Visit us to shop in person or order online and pick up in the shop.
Address
210 E. Vermilion Street, Lafayette, LA 70501
Hours
Mon, Wed, Thurs
1pm-7pm
Friday & Saturday
1pm-8pm
Closed Sunday & Tuesday
Keep it natural, baby.
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This historic estate was established in 1834. Claude de Nicolay took over from her mother as winemaker in 1988 and crafts traditionally styled wines from one of the Cote d’Or’s great terroirs, the hill of Corton and its surrounding villages. The vineyard management has been fully biodynamic since 2005 and organic since 1998. The winemaking incorporates a large percentage of whole cluster fermentation, resulting in true “vin de garde”, and yields are limited to draw out the individual character of the specific site. Premier Cru Iles-des-Vergelesses is considered by many to be the Grand Cru of the Premier Crus in Pernand-Vergelesses, and Chandon de Briailles is the only grower of both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in this excellent site. The Pernand Vergelesses Iles des Vergelesses red is full of minerality and complex flavors, the white, in good years, can compete with Corton Charlemagne for complexity and finesse. In his review of Chandon’s wines from the 2006 vintage, John Gilman (View From the Cellar) wrote: “This domaine is quickly becoming one of the very finest to be found anywhere in the Côte D’Or…these are great, classically styled, terroir-driven red and white Burgundies that age brilliantly, and are among the treasures to be found in the Côte de Beaune for those adventurous enough to try a few bottles.”
At Chandon de Briailles, the vineyard management has been fully biodynamic since 2005 and organic since 1998. Claude's brother, Francois de Nicolay joined the domaine in 2001.
In the cellar, no enological products are used (except for sulfur in very small quantities), no tartaric acid, no exogenous yeasts, no tannin powder, no enzymes, etc. The Chandon de Briailles wines are quite unique in the fact that there is a negligible amount of new oak for aging and most wines are made with a whole-cluster fermentation. The domaine has cut back on its use of whole cluster fermentation since 2011 and adapts vintage to vintage. The Savigny-les-Beaune village is typically de-stemmed and the premier cru and grand cru will have up to 100% whole cluster in a sunny year (with good phenolic maturity). Fermentations start naturally a few days after harvest in open top cement tanks. Aging is carried out in used barrels (up to eight years-old) and the wine are bottled without fining or filtration. Claude likes to describe her wines as having 'no make-up', referring to the lack of new oak. While the wines are technically 'natural' the most important goal of the winery is to make wines that are classic in style and the very purest expression of terroir.
Katie and Denny
store owners
Your friendly neighborhood wine shop, focused on small production, organic and biodynamic, natural wines. Connect with us on Instagram for suggestions on your next bottle and to follow along in our downtown Lafayette wine journey.
Visit us to shop in person or order online and pick up in the shop.
Hours
Mon, Wed, Thurs
1pm-7pm
Friday & Saturday
1pm-8pm
Closed Sunday & Tuesday