We began working with Jean-Claude Thévenet in 1982. At that point, having taken responsibility for this family domaine in 1971 from his father, Raymond, when their holdings were a mere three (3) hectares, Jean-Claude was in the process of building the domaine to its current size of thirty (30) hectares with vineyards centered on their village of Pierreclos at the heart of the Maconnais. In addition to working their own vineyards, the Thévenet family, for three generations, has also conducted a successful nursery business producing fine quality grape vines for many family-owned domaines in Burgundy and also in the Champagne district.
Over the thirty years of our commercial relationship, Jean-Claude and his wife, Helene, and now his three sons (Benjamin, Jonathan and Aurélien), have performed at a remarkable, and consistently high, level producing wines of honesty and purity and fine value. This is the kind of relationship at the core of our business: one that functions seamlessly through good times and difficult moments and turns into friendship as well. So, we lost a treasured companion when Jean-Claude passed away in 2008 at the too-young age of 54; but, we are comforted by the presence of his three talented and dedicated progeny, all functioning under the rigorous supervision of their mother, Helene.
The vineyard holdings now extend throughout Pierreclos and into the neighboring villages of Serrieres, Prissé, Bussieres and Milly-Lamartine. Chardonnay is the dominant grape and Gamay and Pinot Noir produce the red wines of the estate.
Farming
Lutte Raisonnée
Treatments
Synthetic treatments when necessary
Ploughing
Annual ploughing to promote soil health
Soils
Limestone-clay
Vines
Vines are trained in Guyot and planted at 8,000 vines/ha. Average vine age is 40 years
Yields
Controlled with winter pruning, debudding, and an occasional green harvest. Average yields are 65 hl/ha
Harvest
Mostly mechanical, with some hand harvesting, usually in late September
PURCHASING
Entirely estate fruit
Fermentation
Following total destemming for red wines and partial destemming for whites, wines ferment spontaneously in concrete vats. Cuvaison lasts 2-4 weeks
Extraction
Rack-and-return method employed during fermentation; whites see bâtonnage only to counter reduction
Chaptalization
Chaptalization when necessary
Pressing
Pneumatic pressing
Malolactic Fermentation
Spontaneous, following alcoholic fermentation
Élevage
Wines age for 6-10 months in concrete vats
LEeS
Wines are racked after alcoholic and malolactic fermentation but remain on their fine lees until assemblage prior to bottling
FINING & FILTRATION
Wines are unfined and plate filtered
SULFUR
Applied at harvest and at bottling, 25-30 mg/l free
