Domaine Chanson
Le Bastion Beaune 1er Cru Blanc 2022
Beaune 1er Cru
Le Bastion is Domaine Chanson’s most personal expression of the Beaune Premier Cru hillside. Named for the 15th-century Bastion cellar in the heart of Beaune where the estate’s finest Premiers Crus have been aged for centuries, this cuvée brings together selected parcels from Clos du Roi, Clos des Marconnets, and A l’Ecu, three of the domaine’s most important holdings on the Beaune hillside. Planted to Chardonnay on east and south-east facing clay and limestone soils across 2 hectares, it is a wine that reflects the full breadth of what Chanson’s Beaune holdings are capable of. Pale gold in color, it opens with floral fragrances and aromas of exotic fruit and citrus on a hint of spice, with a well-structured, complex palate of precise, tight texture and a long finish.
VINEYARD
Le Bastion is a blend of selected parcels from three of Domaine Chanson's Premier Cru holdings on the Beaune hillside: Clos du Roi, Clos des Marconnets, and A l'Ecu. The 2-hectare total has east and south-east facing exposures on clay and limestone soils, giving the wine both freshness and the mineral precision that defines Chardonnay from this part of the Côte de Beaune. The wine is aged in the estate's historic 15th-century Bastion cellar, from which the cuvée takes its name.
WINEMAKING
Hand-picked in small crates, followed by meticulous sorting. Whole bunch pressing for gentle extraction. Fermentation in barrel at low temperature for 15 to 20 days, favoring aromatic complexity and freshness. Aged 17 months on fine lees in French oak barrels, 20% new, ranging from one to six years old, in the 15th-century Bastion cellar. Careful selection of coopers and toast used to bring out the best in each terroir. Bottled according to the lunar calendar.
VINTAGE
2022 brought marked temperature swings through January and February before spring settled in with mild conditions. A cold snap in April gave way to warm May temperatures, but water stress through the season was significant and never fully offset by June storms. Summer brought several prolonged heat waves, with welcome relief arriving only at the end of August. Harvest ran from August 30 to September 13, yielding a generous vintage both in volume and quality. The wines are well-balanced, precise, and concentrated.
TASTING NOTE
Pale gold. Floral fragrances with aromas of exotic fruit and citrus on a hint of spice. Well-structured and complex on the palate, with a precise, tight texture and a long finish.
FOOD PAIRING
Seafood, grilled fish, roasted white meats, aged goat cheese
Color
White
Blend %
100% Chardonnay
Appellation
Beaune 1er Cru
Alcohol
14%
Trade Materials
Other Wines by this Producer
Le Bastion Beaune 1er Cru Rouge
Beaune 1er Cru
Le Bastion Rouge draws from seven of Domaine Chanson's most important Beaune Premier Cru holdings across 10 hectares, including Clos du Roi, Clos des Marconnets, Bressandes, Teurons, Champs Pimont, Clos des Mouches, and the Clos des Fèves Monopole. Aged in the estate's 15th-century Bastion cellar, it delivers the full character of the Beaune hillside in a single wine: ripe red berries, spice, and vanilla, with a tight, deep texture and a long, spicy finish.
Monthélie 1er Cru Le Clos Gauthey
Monthélie 1er Cru
Monthélie sits in the shadow of Volnay and Meursault, yet Le Clos Gauthey delivers wines of fantastic quality for a fraction of the price. West-facing on clay and limestone at the heart of the appellation, this Pinot Noir opens with violet, ripe red berries, spice, and a delicate vanilla note, with a silky, deep texture, elegant tannins, and a long, generous finish.
Beaune 1er Cru Champs Pimont
Beaune 1er Cru
Champs Pimont sits on the southern hill of Beaune, a 2-hectare parcel on the mid-slope with a south-east exposure on silt, marl, and limestone soils. This combination of position and soil gives the wine a distinctive elegance and purity, with the silt and marl contributing fine-grained tannins and a freshness that lifts the fruit. Pinot Noir from this parcel opens with delicate fragrances of violet and intense aromas of ripe black cherry, with a subtle vanilla note, a well-balanced and complex palate of tight texture, finely grained tannins, and a long, fruity finish.
Rully Blanc
Rully
Rully is one of southern Burgundy's most underrated appellations for Chardonnay, consistently delivering wines of real freshness and mineral precision. Domaine Chanson's 9.6-hectare holding spans south-east and south-west facing slopes on clay and limestone, producing a wine that is floral, precise, and well-balanced, with citrus, mineral character, and a pure, fresh finish.
Beaune 1er Cru Les Teurons
Beaune 1er Cru
Les Teurons sits at the heart of the Domaine Chanson Premier Cru holdings, a 3.8-hectare parcel in the center of the Beaune territory with a south-east exposure on clay, limestone, and sand soils. The mix of soil types gives the wine both structure and a supple, generous quality, with the sand contributing the freshness and aromatic lift that defines Les Teurons. Pinot Noir from this celebrated parcel opens with intense aromas of ripe red berries, violet, and spice, leading to a brisk, complex, and deep palate of tight texture and a long, spicy finish.
Beaune 1er Cru Les Grèves
Beaune 1er Cru
Les Grèves takes its name from the sandy, gravely soils of the Mont Battois hillside, where clay and sand produce Pinot Noir of remarkable purity. Domaine Chanson's 2-hectare parcel sits directly adjacent to the Clos des Fèves on an east-facing slope. Aged 20 months in French oak, it delivers ripe black berry fruit, a hint of vanilla, velvety texture, and well-integrated tannins on a long, fruity finish.
Corton-Vergennes Grand Cru
Corton-Vergennes
Corton-Vergennes is one of Burgundy's most storied Grand Cru parcels: a tiny 0.6-hectare plot on the Corton hill, once owned by Charles Gravier, Count of Vergennes, the French statesman who signed the Treaty of Alliance with Benjamin Franklin. Planted to Chardonnay on southeast-facing clay and limestone soils and aged up to 18 months in French oak, the wine is broad-shouldered and precise, with exotic fruit, mineral depth, and a freshness that carries the wine to an elegant finish.
Mercurey 1er Cru Clos L'Eveque
Côte Chalonnaise, Burgundy
Domaine Chanson Mercurey Premier Cru Clos L’Évêque comes from one of the most renowned Premiers Crus in Mercurey, named after the archbishop of Chalon sur Saône. The vineyard, located in the heart of the Côte Chalonnaise, has clay and marl soils.
Mercurey 1er Cru
Côte Chalonnaise, Burgundy
Domaine Chanson Mercurey Premier Cru is made from grapes sourced from carefully selected Premier Cru plots with East and South-East exposures, providing generosity and typicity true to the appellation. Mercurey, the highest-yielding appellation in the Côte Chalonnaise, produces nearly a quarter of its vineyards as Premier Cru. This wine has a bright ruby color with floral aromas and intense red fruit and pepper notes. It has a deep, tight texture, well-crafted structure, and a long finish with crunchy fruit notes.
