François de Nicolay

Domaine Chandon les Brailles has been preserved by the Nicolay family for nearly 200 years, today managed by François and his sister . Their 13ha vineyard, which are found in Savigny-lès-Beaune, Pernand-Vergelesses and Aloxe-Corton have been certified Biodynamic since the 2008 vintage. In the cellar, the reds grapes are partly de-stemmed, whilst other bunches are left whole. The grapes are cooled to 18 degrees to avoid premature fermentation. No chemistry is permitted in the cellar apart from a small amount of SO2 before bottling. In some vintages light chapitalisation is used, but only with organic sugar. Both red and whites undergo long ageing on their lees, before a light racking off the lees and further ageing in cask before bottling without fining or filtration. The total ageing process takes 14-18 months depending on the vintage.