Domaine Francois et Vincent Jouard winery
Brothers Vincent and Francois Jouard have some of the best holdings in Chassagne and some of the oldest vines. This family-run estate, taken over by the Jouard brothers in 1990, existed before 1820. Francois is the winemaker and Vincent works in the vines. At 11 hectares, they produce 95% white wines and only 5% red Chassagne-Montrachet. Very attached to their roots and the value of the soil handed down to them by their family, they reject automatic decisions and each task is adapted to each barrel. The same philosophy applies to vineyard work: sustainable viticulture with extensive plowing to avoid chemical weeding. The only vines that go into the Jouard estate bottlings are old vines on average, over 50 years, therefore Vieilles Vignes appears on every label. All vineyards are entirely hand-harvested and only indigenous yeasts are used in the fermentations. For all the wines, except Batard, Francois uses 1/3 new oak. The Chaumes Premier Cru 'Clos de la Truffiere' is on one parcel half of which is 65 years old and the other half is 25 years old. Situated on the top of Coteau, exposure is northeast and there is very little soil, almost directly on the rock. It produces a wine that is mineral with hints of truffle and honeysuckle, power, and finesse.