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| There is so much we wanted to tell you about Chartron & Trébuchet we weren't sure were to start. Then we came across the following article from THE WINE REVIEW, June 1999, which tells the whole story. |
| The "White" House of Puligny by Ch'ng Poh Tiong Established in 1859 by Jean-Edouard Dupard, a cooper-craftsman, today, the estate goes under the name of Domaine Jean Chartron. Owned still by descendants of the house, I was taken around the vineyards, cellars and tasting room by Jean-Michel Chartron. On the earlier visit a few years ago, the tour had been guided by his father Jean-René Charton, the fourth "winegrower-mayor" of the family. Time will tell if Jean-Michel, Paris-educated and who has also worked in the big city, will follow in the footsteps of his mayoral family. Origin of Puligny The origin of the village of Puligny goes back to Roman times when it was called Puliniacus. Winegrowing developed during the 6th Century when numerous monasteries settled in Burgundy, including those of the abbeys of Cluny and Citeaux, famous for their uncanny expertise in wine. Indeed, it was these monks who, century after century, divided the vineyards into many different plots or climats and therefore began the hierarchy of the wines, unique in the world and still part and parcel of the viticultural heritage of Burgundy. The influence of these abbeys over the whole of Europe, combined with the economic and cultural power of the dukes of Burgundy, contributed to the fame of Burgundy wines. The real expansion however took place in 1095. That was the year when Pope Urban II ratified the donation of the parish of Puligny and its land to the famous Abbey of Cluny. More recently, in 1880, Jean-Edouard Dupard as mayor of Puligny, asked the city council to authorize that the name of Montrachet - the most prestigious local growth name - be added to Puligny, the original name of the village. The main, if not actually sole, activity of the village of Puligny-Montrachet (population: 528 inhabitants) is centered around the great vineyards. Situated on the lowest part of the slope, at the bottom of the "mountain", the highest point being 353 meters or approximately 1,160 feet, Puligny-Montrachet benefits from a microclimate sheltered from the north wind. The soil is mostly of clay, siliceous sand and lime. The village vineyards total 230 hectares (575 acres). Besides the straight village Appellation Puligny, there are thirteen premiers and five grand crus. Ninety-three percent of the production in white. Creation of Negociant House In 1984 Jean-René Chartron joined forces with Louis Trébuchet, a young Burgundian wine-merchant, and created Maison Chartron & Trébuchet. Trébuchet had already cut his teeth as a manager of a respected Beaune house where he had worked for 10 years. Domaine Chartron, for its part, was eager to enter into another aspect of wine production, albeit, from grapes that have not been grown on its estate. However, unlike some other houses that produce its wines not only from bought grapes and musts but also label wines that have been made by third parties, at Maison Chartron & Trébuchet, they only produce wines from grapes or musts so that the total control of the winemaking and the aging are undertaken by themselves. Most of the white wines are fermented and aged in barrel, except for the wines of the Maconnais and the regional appellations which are partly in stainless stell tanks and partly in barrels. The percentage of new oak varies between 10 and 50 percent, with an average of three years of use for the total number of barrels. The preferred oak are Allier - for a major part- and Vosges. Alcoholic fermentation lasts about six to eight weeks. It is quickly followed by the malolactic. During this period the wines are lightly stirred ("batonnés"), taking into account their level of evolution. Following the malolactic fermentation, the wines are racked. Then begins the maturing process, always in barrels, in cellars whose natural temperature is 12° to 13°C for a period of 9 to 12 months. The greater the wine and vintage, the longer time spent in oak. Chartron & Trébuchet produces some 500,000 bottles a year. Based as it is in Puligny-Montrachet, like Domaine Chartron, Chartron & Trébuchet also specializes in white wine. Oenologist Michel Roucher-Sarrazin, under the aegis of Jean-René Chartron and Louis Trébuchet, is in charge of the winemaking and élevage. Jean-Michel Chartron Jean-Michel Chartron, who joined the domaine and negociant business in 1994, after business and viti-vinicultural studies, has just recently taken over the sales and marketing management of the company. Cut in a Paris business school and designer suit, Jean-Michel Chartron, the great-great-grandson of Jean-Edouard Dupard, the original founder, is poised to take the company into the next millennium. His seriousness in understanding the business is underscored by the fact that the young man studied viticulture and viniculture to better prepare himself for the job. I remember, when tasting their wines on my first visit, how I found them too dominated by oak. The latest visit revealed wines of much better balance. Harmony has been restored with the fruit, acidity and just the right amount of new wood. This was confirmed by Jean-Michel. Without myself divulging my earlier impressions, he volunteered the view that ?our wines used to be more oaky than they are now?. This is in spite of the fact that all their wines from the Cote d?Or are fermented 100 percent in oak. The fact of course is that not all that oak is new. Indeed, even the grand cru wines, only half of the oak is new. As for the Rully, just 10 percent is new oak. At both the domaine and the negociant, the balance of the oak can be one, two or, a maximum of, three years. As for the wines of the Maconnais, including Macon, Pouilly-Fuissé and Saint Veran, 70 to 80 percent of it is actually fermented in stainless-steel, with the balance fermented in one or two year-old barrels. The average age of the vines, particularly for Grand and Premier crus, but also some villages wines, are 30, 35 years old. Domaine Chartron, with nine hectares (22.5 acres) of vineyards, is one of the most important vineyard owners in Puligny. Their most prestigious holdings include the Grand Cru 'Clos de Chevalier', Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru 'Clos de la Pucelles' and Puligny-Montracher Premier Cru 'Clos des Callierets' which produces both a white and the only red of the village. "Before World War Two, there was actually more Pinot Noir than Chardonnay planted in Puligny. Later, things changed because of market conditions," Jean-Michel Chartron informed. Will change come again to Burgundy? Who knows? One thing's for sure though, Burgundy is already putting on a new face. It has become more attuned to the changes brought about by New World winemaking and the information technologies of the wireless world. Jean-Michel is part of that change. Perhaps a better word would be evolution. Just as when the Romans first settled in Puliniacus or Puligny. And then when the monks of the Citeaux and Cluny abbeys arrived and tasted the soils and gave the plots individual names, appellations that today still steal the breath of wine lovers away. |
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