Creux Brouillard Domaine Pierre Naigeon

Beginning in 1890, the Naigeon family estate has been situated in Gevrey-Chambertin in the prestigious region of Côte de Nuits for more than 150 years. Initially farmers and coopers, the Naigeon family bought some acres of vines and started to produce a few barrels of red wine.  The wine production only brought in a very small income however, so the cooperage and the farm were continued, together with a small wine merchant activity.

Jeanne and Pierre Naigeon, grandparents of Pierre, added some prestigious Grands Crus to the Domaine from the Côte de Nuits, Charmes Chambertin, and Bonnes Mares. Their youngest son, Jean-Pierre, took over the family business in 1955, after studying hotel management.  Jean-Pierre went on to marry Wera that same year with whom he would have four boys.  One of the four, Pierre, joined his father in 1980, making him the 5th generation of the Naigeon family to be in the wine business.

When Jean-Pierre passed away in 1996, the Domaine was still quite small.  In 2003 and 2005, Pierre increased the Domaine to its present day size of 11.5 hectares (29 acres).

Pierre Naigeon uses green agriculture, and continually researches methods to elicit the perfect expression of each grape varietal in order to produce wines full of fragrance, both delicate and powerful, which reveal the best of the terroirs.  He also only makes single-vineyard wines (more than 25 different lieu-dit) that are vinified and bottled separately, without fining or filtration, to guard the pure expression of each terroir.

The Vineyard

For more than 2,000 years, the hills of Burgundy have been planted with vineyards.  At Domaine Pierre Naigeon, the winemakers take absolute care of this very precious inheritance. The goal is to pass on this terroir in good shape to the future generations and also to minimize the environmental footprint of the estate.

For this reason, the winemakers take extreme care of the vineyards, using traditional cultural techniques inherited from their ancestors.  Work in the vineyard is mostly done by hand, including pruning (simple Guyot method), harvesting and sorting.  All of this is supported by the most current scientific knowledge about the vines and disease prevention.

Respecting the plant cycle throughout the seasons, cultivation of the soil, and the use of only organic fertilizer reinforces the natural defenses of the vines against any disease.

Certified organic in 2019 and committed to not using any herbicides whatsoever, Pierre Naigeon is able to shape the purest expression of the terroirs in the resulting wines, a natural alchemy between the complex soils of Burgundy and the unique micro-climates of each vineyard.

Domaine Pierre Naigeon is planted with both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay vines that are situated on more than 45 plots within the Côte de Nuits.  The average age of the vines is remarkably high, most of them being over 50 years old. This ensures deep roots which nourish the vines from many different layers of the soil, producing more complex wines. This also reduces the natural level of cropping, providing more concentrated wines.

The philosophy of the Domaine is to produce high quality fruit using natural methods and minimal human intervention to create exceptional wines.

Since 2008 Roland Masse, renowned winemaker of the Hospices de Beaune, has been collaborating with the Domaine and sharing his extensive knowledge of Burgundy, Pierre Naigeon improves even more his workmanship of the agriculture and the winemaking.

Vinification

The philosophy of Domaine Pierre Naigeon is to work the earth using clean agriculture to produce grapes of exceptional quality.  This method is employed in the vineyard among the vines to promote the growth of the grapes, resulting in a harvest that is healthy and fully ripened, with a reduced yields adapted to each varietal and terroir.

The harvest is manually done, followed by an extremely thorough sorting before the grapes are put into tanks, without use of a pump, by the bunch at optimal maturity.  All that is left to do is to let nature takes its course and for the terroir to express itself.  Using natural yeasts, fermentation begins after several days.  Except for several pigeages during the maceration process, human intervention is limited to the bare minimum.  At the devatting, after fermentation, the wine is siphoned by gravity (without pumps) into oak barrels.  The wine is left to age in the cellar for 12 months; due to the natural climate of the cave, a temperature control system is not required.

Each barrel is observed individually, and sampled from regularly once a week (ouillage).  In order to preserve the aromatic qualities of the wine, a single racking is done without using pumps so that the wine is not disturbed too much.  This racking takes place several weeks before the wine is bottled, which is done without filtration or fining (except for the white wines which may require a gentle fining).  The wine is bottled by hand for the more special cuvées.

Throughout the entirety of the operation, the winemakers take into consideration the cycles of the moon and the sun, which may affect the resulting wines.

Location: This wine is produced from the single vineyard “Creux Brouillard”, which translates to “Foggy Hollow”. It is situated at the bottom of the slope.

Soil: Deep limestone and clay soil

Harvest: Manual, with thorough sorting of the grapes on the sorting table.

Vinification: Traditional, using indigenous yeasts.

Aging: 12 months in French oak barrels. Bottled by gravity without fining or filtration to preserve all the natural qualities of the wine. Alcohol: 13%

Tasting Notes: An elegant and aromatic Gevrey-Chambertin. Fresh, floral notes of violet and cherry.

Food Pairings: Red meat and aged cheeses

(apwineimports.com)