DOMAINE DUREUIL-JANTHIAL, BURGUNDY
Rully
Vincent Dureuil-Janthial is a young man set to make the family name - albeit for his own, young domaine. Vincent founded his domaine in 1994, although the Dureuil-Janthials, one of the oldest families of Rully, first settled there in the 14th century.
At present he vinifies 8 hectares, although this is due to increase in the near future. In just a few years time his father Raymond will retire and Vincent will then take over those vineyards. Vincent's philosophy is quite different to that of his father.
The wines of Raymond Dureuil-Janthial were traditionally given two years in new oak, creating a much more tannic, less fruit driven style. Vincent strives for fruit, terroir, elegance and finesse only giving his wines a maximum of 12 months in new oak. At present the domaine is planted with 40% Chardonnay, 57% Pinot Noir and 3% Gamay.
The latter, being used for Vincent's excellent example of Passetoutgrain. The terroir here is argilo calcaires. No chemical fertilisers are used, the soils are treated with natural compost and worked frequently. The harvest is by hand and the grapes are carefully selected in the vineyard. The white wines are given a light press and then a 24-hour debourage. They are then put into cask - about 33% of which is new oak. Battonage is performed each week.
The wines remain on their lees until they are bottled after some 14 months. The red grapes are crushed and given a cold maceration in wooden vats and trodden by foot (piges), to keep the caps in contact with the juice to achieve the required depth of colour.
Like the white wines, the red wines are aged for approximately 14 months before being bottled without any fining or filtration. In just six years, Vincent has won a tremendous amount of recognition, being dubbed by many as the finest grower in Rully.
