Domaine Berthenet
By David Keck
The region of Burgundy in France is truly hallowed ground in the wine world, producing some of the most coveted and spectacular wines. Burgundy demonstrates what grapes grown thoughtfully in the same location for thousands of years are capable of producing. It is also an extremely volatile and fickle region, with challenging weather and numerous viticultural challenges, leading to great variation in price and availability from vintage to vintage.
The combination of low yields, issues with COVID, and the tariffs being imposed, have all led to price increases, so finding ‘value’ in Burgundy is even more difficult right now than it is normally!
That said, there are some producers, particularly those working in more off-the-beaten-path areas, that are doing great work for a fraction of the price of the more sought-after zip codes. Domaine Berthenet is just one of those producers and we’re excited to be representing their wines in VT!
Based in the village of Montagny-les-Buxy, Jean-Pierre and François Berthenet are the father-son team at the helm of the Berthenet estate. Although the Berthenet family has history in the region going back over 400 years, the estate itself was started in 1974, and sold grapes to the local co-op until 2001! In that year, Jean-Pierre built a winery above the town and the Berthenet family began producing their own wines.
Committed to sustainability, as little chemical use as possible (mostly copper and sulfur except in extreme cases), all indigenous yeast, and low amounts of sulfur at bottling, the wines are vibrant and alive with the character of these old vines. This is a perfect example of what the French call lutte raisonnée or the ‘reasoned struggle.’ It is the attempt to do everything in the interest of the vineyard’s long-term health.
We have started with two wines from the Domaine that exemplify the quality and value to be found in this estate:
DOMAINE BERTHENET ‘VIEILLES VIGNES’ ALIGOTÉ 2019
From the old vines planted in 1950, this wine shows the quality to be found in this grape variety when produced with old vines grown in clay and granitic soils. Aged in stainless steel with lees stirring, malolactic is naturally occurring (as with all of their wines), and the result is a clean, fresh, mineral-driven wine that is perfect as aperitif or pairing for a first course.
DOMAINE BERTHENET ‘TÊTE DE CUVÉE’ MONTAGNY BLANC 2018
From the appellation in which the estate sits (Montagny is just north of the Macon in the heart of the Côte Chalonnaise), this is the one of the top wines produced by the Berthenet family, from 3.4 ha of Chardonnay planted in clay-limestone. Also unoaked, the Chardonnay here is mineral, fruity without being overblown, with a nice balance of acidity and structure.