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Domaine François Carillon , although recently founded, can trace its ancestry back to the 16th Century, with François himself the sixteenth generation of farmers. The Domaine is borne of Domaine Louis Carillon , Louis being François’ father, now retired. François began working with his father and brother Jacques in 1988. Fascinated from the outset by the vines and their environment, the vineyard became François’ main focus and remains paramount today. François and his brother took over the family Domaine on their father’s retirement, in 2010 they elected amicably to split the estate holdings and thus Domaine François Carillon was established.

Photo: François Carillon (right), Adam Brett-Smith (centre), Percy Weatherall (left)

Domaine François Carillon – background

The recorded viticultural family history dates back to one Jean Carillon , a farmer born in 1520, succeeded by generations of vineyard workers, concentrating on the vines of Puligny-Montrachet . The plaque, which adorns the wall of the Domaine, is engraved 1632. The Domaine today is very different from its 1700 counterpart. At that time, whilst the slopes were planted with vines, they were co-planted with other crops, the resulting vin ordinaire being sold off to labourers, delivered by horse and cart. By 1850, with the arrival of the railway, the customer base had expanded, only to be compromised by the arrival of the deadly vine beetle phylloxera, a problem which was only resolved in1879, with the arrival of grafted vines.

Domaine François Carillon – the vineyards and the wines

François is in his element in the vineyard. A viticulturalist of the highest quality, he believes passionately that the quality of wine is determined in the vineyard and, to that end, he strives to produce the best grapes possible, without recourse to chemical intervention. The 6.5 hectares currently in production are farmed to lutte integrée principles; that is organically, but with the option to treat the vines if the circumstances demand it. No weed-killers are used, just ploughing, either by horse or tractor, and a mushroom-based top-dressing. Production is controlled from the outset with a strict pruning regime, followed by de-budding – the aim being no more than 8 bunches per vine. The vines are trained to optimise photosynthesis. The small, dedicated team is comprised of people of the soil, driven by respect for the vineyard.

This tiny estate currently spans Chassagne-Montrachet Premiers Crus (Les Macherelles and Les Clos Saint-Jean), Puligny Premiers Crus (Les Champs Gains, Les Folatières, Les Referts, Les Combettes), Village Puligny Montrachet and generic Bourgogne . Harvest is done by hand.

Domaine François Carillon – the cellar

The cellar lies at the heart of the village of Puligny- Montrachet , housed in old family-owned buildings. François is so certain that the vineyard holds the secret to a finished wine that he is rather dismissive of what he does in the cellar, citing élevage as merely being “traditional”. All of the wines have both their alcoholic and malolactic fermentations in oak barrels, where they remain for a year, followed by six months in stainless steel prior to bottling. The percentage of new oak will depend on the cru and the vintage, 15% for Puligny-Montrachet Village, 20 to 25% for the premiers crus – general Allier or Tronçais oak. The wines remain in oak for one year before being transferred to stainless steel, for a further 6 months. The wines await a favourable period in the lunar cycle being bottled by hand – nothing is left to chance.