Domaine Henri & Gilles Buisson
— Portfolio —
BOURGOGNE BLANC 2020
“Coming from the blending of plots on the heights of Saint-Romain, the downgrading of the Appellation Village of the Cote de Beaune and the purchase of grapes from another certified organic farming estate. Our Bourgogne Blanc combines freshness and minerality, finesse and depth.” – Franck Buisson.
40% of fruit is sourced from their Saint-Romain vineyards, 10% from a Cotes de Beaune village site, and the remaining 50% from the organic Macon producer Guillot-Broux. The aim to balance the limestone-driven acidity of Saint-Romain with by roundness and warmth of Macon fruit.
Fermented and matured for 12 months in old oak, parcels all made separately than blended pre-bottling. Just 5,000 bottles produced in 2020.
SAINT-ROMAIN BLANC EN POILLANGE 2020
“The ‘Poillange’ terroir takes position on the slope, taking advantage of its softening and excellent soils. These 60-year-old vines, facing south-east, blossom freshly between 353 and 380 meters above sea level, on a hill opposite the Saint-Romain valley. In this marl and limestone complex, clayey banks are perfectly suited to the Chardonnay grape variety..” – Franck Buisson.
En Poillange is a climat to the south of Saint-Romain village, a high altitude site that faces mostly east to get the morning sun. It is a very rock site with a high limestone content.
100% matured in 500 litre barrels, enable more oak and lees interaction to buffer the extreme minerality of the site. Franck described the palate of Poillange as ’stone’s rolling along the tongue’…
SAINT-ROMAIN BLANC SOUS LA VELLE 2020
Bottle Shot
Sous La Velle is Buisson’s signature white wine site, located beneath Saint-Romain village (Velle is an old word for village). It sits at an average of 370m all, in the sloping centre of the hillside vineyard, unlike the Sous la Velle climate in Meursault which is on flat ground. There is a great balance of clay and limestone (more clay than Sous la Velle).
“Planted on the marl scree of Saint-Romain, the vines take root in the limestone and thus offer a beautiful minerality to the wine. The attack is frank with notes of candied lemon then, this dense wine, fatter than the others, with complex aromas and multiple horizons, opens on a beautiful saline and iodized vibration. The divine alliance of a mineral world and an explosive fruitiness.” – Franck Buisson.
Mostly fermented and matured on full solids in large 30hl (3,000 l) casks, with some small portions matured in smaller barrel sizes. Look for a grapefruit, citrus element to the fruit profile and a tonic-like bitter twist to the palate.
CHASSAGNE MONTRACHET 1ER CRU EN REMILLY 2020
En Remilly is the northernmost Chassagne climat, located at the intersection of Chassagne, Puligny and Saint-Aubin, and a literal stone’s throw from famed Le Montrachet. Since 2017 the Buissons have exchanged fruit with this organic grower (the En Remilly was their first non-estate wine).
The south-facing site, on a limestone base, produces an intense Chassagne style, unencumbered by any new oak. Just two barrels produced. No batonnage
“Mid to pale colour. A brilliant nose, ripe lemons, just a suggestion of plums, a very clean precise reduction, indeed precision is the watchword here. The lemon flavours continue all the way through, perfumed, a joy” – 94-96 pts. – Jasper Morris (Inside Burgundy)
Beaune Rouge is a roughly equal blend of the two sites – one high elevation (Longbois) and one more on the valley floor (Prevoles). Average vine age is 30 years.
The two plots are vinified separately. Fermentation takes place only in steel tank, with maturation mostly in steel with 20% matured in various oak vessels for no more than 12 months.
“Made from Longbois and Prévoles, two vineyards which are picked well apart, vinified separately and later on blended. Fine bright purple, racy and peppery yet thick textured as well. Ripe concentrate fruit, the peppers stay all the way through, an impressive village Beaune with good length.” – 92 Points, Jasper Morris (Inside Burgundy)
SANTENAY ROUGE CROIX SORINE 2020
The two Santenay wines are one-offs from the 2020 vintage, a result of the untimely death of the a vigneron’s wife just before harvest. In the turmoil, he reached out to organic producers to take his certified organic fruit rather than have it blended into big company cuvees and one of his first calls was to the brothers Buisson. This is therefore labelled as Maison Buisson rather than Domaine Buisson.
Croix Sorine is a lieu dit on the higher altitude slopes just to the north of Santenay village, facing north, next to the 1er Cru La Maladiere.
Partially destemmed, then aged for between 10-12 months in barrels of various sizes, up to 500L, 10% new.
SANTENAY ROUGE 1ER CRU CLOS DE LA COMME 2020
A 2020 one-off release from the the 1er Cru Clos de la Comme vineyard, an east facing site that abuts Chassagne to the north east of Santenay village, lying directly next to Chassagne les Morgeots.
‘Comme’ is derived from the the ‘Combe’, meaning valley or ravine.
The fruit is partially destemmed, fermented in steel tank, then matured for 12 month maturation in a variety of small oak vessels.
SAINT ROMAIN ROUGE SOUS ROCHE 2020
Bottle Shot
Sous Roche is the foundation red wine climate of Domaine Buisson, the partner to the Sous Velle white. It’s a 60 year-old, 3ha plot full of limestone and ironstone that faces Saint-Romain village, on the opposite slope to Sous Velle. Facing west, it captures warm afternoon sun but it’s high elevation (average 360m) lends it a high-altitude freshness. Most of the site was massale selection plantings by Henri Buisson in the 1960s.
Approx 70% whole bunches were used in the fermentation, which is all in steel, before 12 months maturation in various oak vessels..
Franck Buisson lovingly described the wine’s ‘little tannins’ on the finish. It’s an open, gentle, savoury style.