In 2011, Benoît Eschard, an “Arts & Métiers” engineering graduate, decided to take over Domaine Jeannin-Naltet in Mercurey, from his uncle who was looking for a successor.

The domaine has always been the embodiment of Burgundy tradition and spirit, but Benoît’s motivation for taking it over was a more personal one. He was taking on, not just a family heritage, but a vineyard, in the heart of a celebrated terroir, which needed to be tamed. This profound, humble connection to the land through the vine is, in fact, both the realisation of a personal quest and the driving force that would bring out the very best of the domaine’s unique selection of plots, with an eye turned to the future.

Benoît Eschard started exploring the potential of this unique selection of plots by re-examining each element in the work process. He refined the various aspects of his work, stage by stage and vintage after vintage, with a view to bringing out and showcasing the domaine’s vineyards in their many facets.

In the vineyards, the growing practices are evolving to facilitate the ripening of the grapes:

• Increase in the height of the trellising, thereby increasing the foliar surface area of each vine
• Meticulous disbudding and trellising work, enabling control of the yields and ensuring an unfavourable environment for the development of mildew and powdery mildew
• Leaf stripping in the plots most susceptible to botrytis
• Systematic ploughing of the soil to allow its oxygenation and encourage the mineralisation of the organic matter and the penetration of water.

In the winery, the tools and processes have been reviewed in order to preserve the quality of the harvested grapes and the character of each wine

• The harvested grapes are transported from the vineyards to the winery in small crates to prevent a deterioration in the quality of the grapes
• The elimination of pumping, with the grapes transferred into vat by gravity
• Vinification by separate parcels and respect of the terroirs.
• The ageing process is tailored to the character of each vat of wine.