France

Sébastien Caillat and Florence Lamy's micro-domaine began less than 20 years ago with only 1.2ha of vines – yet it already produces wines to rival any in France.Having honed their craft at Florence's family estate, Lamy-Pillot, the couple began renting a small number of vines from an elderly neighbour in 2008. They produce just 500 cases of wine annually, from Bourgogne Blanc through village vineyards in Saint-Aubin and Chassagne-Montrachet to some of the best 1er Crus, including 'Les Champs Gain', 'La Romanée' and 'Les Caillerets' – the jewels of the appellation.Sébastien and Florence describe their ethos as "minimalist and essential", taking as much time with all aspects of production as they deem appropriate. Meticulously farmed organic fruit goes into an old Vaslin mechanical press (that the highly skilled Sébastien – a civil engineer by training – has renovated himself) before a two-year élevage in particularly cold, damp cellars. Hand-bottled without filtration, each wine receives a layer of wax on top of long corks (using a machine also designed by Sébastien) to reduce oxidation. With all the richness and breadth you'd expect from the best Chassagne-Montrachet, the domaine's wines are balanced with an intricate mineral and reductive tension – a fiendishly difficult trick to get right. These are A-grade white Burgundies to enjoy young or to lay down and age.

Lamy-Caillat

Wines

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