Domaine d'Édouard
Burgundy, France
We were introduced to Édouard Lepesme by the legendary Alice and Olivier De Moor in Chablis, who buy Eduoard’s fruit for some of their wines. The De Moors spoke extremely highly of him as a farmer and Vigneron, so off we went.
Édouard has worked in Burgundy for many years working for some of the best growers in the region (The De Moors, Thomas Pico, Claire Naudin and others). In 2011 he decided to follow his dream of making wine and farming his own fruit. Now he farms 13.5 hectares of vines in the Cote d’Auxerre, a small northern Burgundian region very close to Chablis, which until Phylloxera was a very famous and productive part of Burgundy. Today it represents only a small fraction of wine produced in the region, but the level of quality can be extraordinary, especially considering rising global temperatures and potential to ripen fruit in the more northern French wine regions.
Édouard is located in the village of Vaux-Auxerre and his vineyards are planted on the same chalky limestone soils found in the best vineyards of Chablis. He makes only a small amount of wine and sells the majority of his fruit to other winemakers. All of his vineyards are farmed organically and have been farmed this way since the 1990s. The vineyards are surrounded by beautiful cherry trees and organic wheat fields. The vineyard plots are planted on the two hillsides of the village of Vaux. The first is positioned between Vaux and Auxerre, which tends to have more clay and the other vineyard is south of Vaux, with more limestone.
Harvest is done by hand, fermentations with indigenous yeast, sulfur use is low and only neutral vessels are used for elevage. Reds are fermented primarily with whole bunches and all of his fermentations and macerations are done in fiberglass.
Édouard farms Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Gamay, Aligoté and Cesar, an old Burgundian variety grown only in this area. His vineyards were first planted in the 1960s giving Édouard’s wines the lovely complexity and tension old vines can provide. His wines are expressive, bright and finessed. He are thrilled to work with this talented young Vigneron.
Crémant de Bourgogne: Chardonnay, Pinot Noir
Traditional (Champagne) method sparkling wine. Zippy, citrusy and bright with 24 months of aging on lees. 1g/L dosage. Very low Sulfur.
Bourgogne Côte d’Auxerre: Pinot Noir
5 day carbonic maceration then 10 days of traditional maceration with pump overs each day. 2 final days of post fermentation maceration and 9 months in old French oak barrels on fine lees before blending and bottling. Very low Sulfur.
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