Domaine Marchand-Grillot is the family estate located in Gevrey-Chambertin, Burgundy. It covers 9 hectares of vines, spreading across 47 different plots of Côte de Nuits. The viticulture of the domaine is sustainable, not certified yet.

The winemaker in charge is Etienne Marchand. His wines are exceptional, lively, deep and velvety.

The top wines of Domaine Marchand-Grillot are Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru, Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Petite Chapelle and Gevrey-Chambertin Champerrier Cuvée Vigne Centenaire. On Inside Burgundy, the Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru 2019 scored 95-98, Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Petite Chapelle 2018 scored 93-95 and Gevrey-Chambertin Champerrier Vigne Centenaire 2018 scored 91-94.

Jasper Morris’s tasting notes on the Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru 2019: “One barrel of 280 litres. 100 percent whole bunch at the start then destemmed later during vinification, but unlike Champerrier with sulphur protection. Etienne wants the carbonic maceration aspect but no astringency, No more than medium deep colour, with a beautiful bouquet, immense charm. Brings an immediate smile, a gorgeous wine in perfect harmony, sweeter strawberry notes, excellent finish, really lovely. Bravo! Alpine raspberries to finish.”

The history of Domaine Marchand-Grillot starts with two vigneron's families - the Marchands from Morey-Saint-Denis and the Grillots from Gevrey-Chambertin.

The domaine was founded in 1950 when grandfather Marchand married grandmother Grillot. Later, the holdings were taken over by their son, Jacques Marchand, who implemented the domaine-bottling and parcellaire approach.

Since 2009, Domaine Marchand-Grillot has been managed by Etienne Marchand along with his sister Marion.

Etienne Marchand studied at the Lycée Viticole at Macon-Davayé, then gained a BTS level in Wine Commerce in Paris. Besides, he has broadened his knowledge and gained new experience among wine growers in Oregon.

The viticulture of Domaine Marchand-Grillot is sustainable, not certified yet. No pesticides or herbicides have been used for more than 30 years.

Mostly, all the activities in the vineyards are done by hand. Short pruning (Guyot), debudding and green harvesting are applied for yields control. The soils are regularly ploughed to reduce erosion and unwanted weeds.

Harvesting is thorough - only ripe and clean grapes arrive in the winery.

The most of the grapes is destemmed except for the Champerrier Cuvée Vieilles Vignes and the Ruchottes-Chambertin. For the Champerrier, fermentation begins with whole bunches, later removed and destemmed. The amount of sulphur added is significantly decreased.

Maturation lasts from 12 to 18 months in 30 percent new wood. The wines are racked to older barrels at the end of the ageing process.

Etienne Marchand pays lots of attention to the barrels' choice. He works with three different coopers: Tonnellerie Rousseau at Gevrey-Chambertin, Tonnellerie Hermitage at Charité sur Loire, and Tonnellerie Billon at Beaune. Etienne Marchand believes that different coopers make barrels differently, so the barrels have diverse effects and taste influence on the wines. Barrels older than three years are no longer used.

Etienne Marchand chooses the barrels according to 4 significant factors. The first one is the wood's origin, which influences the wood's grain - the nicer the wood grain, the better suppleness of the tannins. Etienne Marchand mainly uses the wood from the French forests of Tronçais, Bertranges, or the Allier. The second - is the type of wood; for all the wines, are used oak barrels, and only for the white - "L'Insolite" - oak and acacia barrels. The third factor is the duration of wood's drying, which influences the tannins' structure. For the grands crus and premiers crus, Etienne Marchand uses the wood drained from 36 to 48 months. The last one is the level of "toasting", which affects more or less "toasted" aromas.

Every year, these factors and characteristics are taken into account depending on the vintage and cuvée.