Tomoko and Guillaume met in 2005 and set up Chantereves in 2010. Guillaume had worked for years with Simone Bize in Savigny-lès-Beaune. Tomoko studied enology in Germany, and life took her to Savigny. Neither comes from a wine family. When they started, their project was purely négociant. In the past few years, they've been able to add some of their own vineyards, but they still work across 25 different appellations and produce fewer than 30,000 bottles a year. I want to be clear: it is extremely hard to get these wines in Ontario. We are very lucky to have them.
Tomoko told us something interesting about Pinot Noir during her masterclass in Toronto this past April. Limestone soils can produce rougher tannins, she said. You have to be careful in the cellar, gentle with the extraction, or the wine gets mean. So they blend the perfect two plots for this cuvée. Half from Paris l'Hôpital in the Hautes Côtes de Beaune, near Maranges, where the soils are sandy granite, more forgiving. Half from Puligny-Montrachet, where the limestone marl gives structure but needs a soft touch. Together, they make something balanced.
The grapes come from old vines. Planted in the 1970s or earlier for the Hautes Côtes plot. The 1950s or earlier for Puligny. Decades of roots deep in the ground. Chanterêves has worked these same plots for years. In the cellar, they go 100% whole cluster, their signature since 2014. No temperature control. Fermentation starts with a pied-de-cuve that comes from their Aligoté plot, Les Chagniots, which Tomoko collects herself. Sometimes a tiny bit of dry ice to protect the cap. No fining, no filtration. Minimal sulfur, only if needed.
This wine is gorgeous beyond words. I can tell you red fruit, earthy depth, fine tannins that don't grab you by the throat, a spectacular palate. But words are not enough to describe it. You'll just have to taste it. That's the only way.
We only got 6 bottles of this.
