Grapes: Chardonnay + Pinot Beurot (5%)
Region: Burgundy, France
Vintage: 2022
Viticulture: Organic
Soils: Clay + Limestone
Vinification: Direct press, thenn fermented in barrels
Aging: 6 months in barrel, 3 months in tank
Fining or Filtering: None
Sulfur: None
Notes from the Importer: Vineyard planted in 1993 and 1996 on an eastern-facing slope. The soil is very rocky, and there are several quarries nearby. Fermentation is in barrel. There is usually no sulfur added at the press unless the vintage requires it. The wine ages for six months in barrel then three months in tank. The final blend usually contains around 5% Pinot Beurot (Pinot Gris) which is partly why Les Champlains tends to be rounder and richer than Les Perrieres.
The domaine was founded in 1890 by Simon Bize who embarked on viticulture with a few hectares of vines in the middle of the phylloxera crisis. The estate was then passed to his son in 1918 (another Simon) who increased their holdings and then to his son (also, Simon) in 1950, who built up a portfolio of customers. But it was his son, Patrick Bize, who from 1972 took the quality of the wines to the top.
Patrick passionately defended a more classic vision of Burgundy far from what was fashionable at the time. It was this energy and fervor that attracted Becky Wasserman to his work from early in her career. After his sudden death in 2013, his wife, Chisa Bize and his sister, Marielle Grivot-Bize. His son Hugo has also recently joined the domaine.
