CHANTERÊVES

 Burgundy: Savigny-lès-Beaune 

“If one name sums up all the energy and evolution in Burgundy today, it is Chanterêves. Tomoko Kuriyama and Guillaume Bott, along with their wines, embody the elements that make the region so vital, which includes an equal appreciation for fancy appellations such as Volnay and would-be simple wines, like aligoté… A collection that truly highlights every facet of the beauty of modern Burgundy.” Jon Bonne, The New French Wine

Since 2010, Tomoko Kuriyama and Guillaume Bott have built one of Burgundy’s most talked-about micro-domaines. Their ground-breaking work with single-vineyard Aligoté has helped elevate the variety to new prominence within the region, while their Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are every bit as compelling.

Their almost Zen-like philosophy in both the vineyard and the cellar helps explain the devoted following their wines have found among admirers of low-intervention winemaking and traditional Burgundy lovers alike.

Tomoko’s journey to Chanterêves was anything but conventional. Born in Japan, Kuriyama arrived in Burgundy in 1997 before pursuing formal winemaking studies at Geisenheim in Germany. She then spent more than a decade working with leading German producers, notably Rheingau avant-gardiste Peter Jakob Kühn, whose work with skin contact and low sulphur left a lasting influence on the young vigneronne.

A harvest at Domaine Simon Bize in 2005 proved pivotal, drawing her back to Burgundy, where she reunited with Guillaume Bott, then the domaine’s winemaker alongside Chisa Bize. Together they founded Chanterêves as a tiny micro-négociant, buying fruit only from growers they knew and trusted while gradually building an estate of their own, one sliver of land at a time.

The moonshot came in 2020. The couple already owned Pinot Noir vines in Chorey-lès-Beaune, to which they added a plot in the Dessus de Montchenevoy vineyard in Savigny-lès-Beaune, as well as an exciting collection of old-vine Aligoté parcels in the Hautes-Côtes de Beaune, including 1.5 hectares near the village of Fussey, along with just over one hectare of Chardonnay nearby.

Chanterêves’Aligoté has become the centre of attention. Inspired by Jérôme Galeyrand and Marsannay producer Sylvain Pataille, the domaine now bottles five single-vineyard Aligotés, each showing how expressive the variety can be when given the same care as Chardonnay or Pinot Noir. In the words of Jasper Morris MW, “Guillaume and Tomoko are not the only pioneers of single-vineyard Aligotés—yet the results here are absolutely compelling.”

Irrespective of variety or vineyard classification, every site is treated with the same serene curiosity: what does this place have to say in this particular vintage? Farming is organic and influenced by biodynamic principles, with cover crops, careful cultivation, horse ploughing where appropriate, and no synthetic herbicides or pesticides. The aim isn’t to follow a philosophy for its own sake, but to build healthy, living soils that let each vineyard express itself as clearly as possible.

In the cellar, the same measured approach continues. The whites are whole-bunch pressed, fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged in older barrels before spending time in tank. Since 2014, the reds have been made with whole clusters, bringing perfume, freshness and fine structure rather than weight. Fining and filtration are avoided, sulphur is used sparingly, and the winemaking is led by the fruit rather than the cellar, although great attention is paid to avoiding any sign of ‘eccentricity’.

As a general guide, the reds are floral and lacy, emblematic of New Burgundy’s commitment to detail, precision and drinkability. The whites are racy and chiselled, yet never lacking in texture, and possess the clarity that reminds us Tomoko Kuriyama began her winemaking career not in Burgundy, but with Riesling.

Whatever the variety, these wines remind us that Burgundy’s deepest truths are still written in the vineyard. Equally heartening is that these bottles, particularly those from the domaine vineyards, have not drifted beyond the reach of thoughtful drinkers. We hope they bring you as much pleasure and satisfaction as they have brought us.