HISTORY

Frédéric Touzot, who set up on the 11 hectare domaine in 2001, is a third generation vigneron.  The vineyards are planted with 20% Gamay, 20% Pinot Noir and 60% Chardonnay.

When his great-grandfather bought the current domaine house in Martailly, he was a farmer and only worked one hectare of vines. The herd was gradually replaced by vines.

The acquisition of the "Les Parettes" parcel was a turning point in the domaine’s history.  This patch of poor grazing land overlooked the village of Martailly to the north.  Facing directly south, the parcel of just over 3 hectares, had never been of interest to anyone.  Frédéric's father had often said that the parcel would make an excellent vineyard. He therefore approached the owners and persuaded them to sell.

Creating the vineyard entailed a lot of ground leveling work and Frédéric also had to remove trailer-loads of stones after ploughing. The entire plot was finally planted with Chardonnay over a three year period.

Today, the domaine can boast a superb vineyard on very stony terrain enjoying good exposure. The soil is clay-limestone, with a layer of marl lying at about 25 cm below the surface.  The layer of soil does not exceed 50 cm over the entire plot, but the earth is warm and ripens the grapes well.

The ground is littered with stones, which are fairly wide and flat. A bit like the slates of a roof.   These stones store up the daytime heat. The earth under the stones stays warm and at night, the stones give off heat which accelerates ripening. This is a frequently observed phenomenon.

PHILOSOPHY

Frédéric prefers to plough the soil (often manually) rather than use herbicides.

"It is more environmentally-friendly, I aerate the soil, and I help my vines to root down deep", says Frédéric. 

THE WINES

The Chardonnay, grown in around ten parcels, is the pride and joy of the vigneron and his father, Jean.  This variety does enjoy particularly good terroir here: semi-circular landscape facing south and overlooking the village of Martailly-les-Brancion.  Located on the upper slope, these stony clay-limestone soils are shallow, curbing yields yet helping the grape to express itself.

This wine, with a green-yellow hue, has a lovely clear, bright appearance.    It is expressive and fresh on the nose, often releasing aromas of white flowers and citrus (grapefruit).

On the palate, it shows lovely minerality and a fresh, attractive character.  This is a delicious, fruity wine that opens up about a year after the harvest.

"Like many of my fellow wine producers, I am passionate about my vines, I consider it my duty to do my bit for the family business"  Frédéric Touzot.

HISTORY

Frédéric Touzot, who set up on the 11 hectare domaine in 2001, is a third generation vigneron.  The vineyards are planted with 20% Gamay, 20% Pinot Noir and 60% Chardonnay.

When his great-grandfather bought the current domaine house in Martailly, he was a farmer and only worked one hectare of vines. The herd was gradually replaced by vines.

The acquisition of the "Les Parettes" parcel was a turning point in the domaine’s history.  This patch of poor grazing land overlooked the village of Martailly to the north.  Facing directly south, the parcel of just over 3 hectares, had never been of interest to anyone.  Frédéric's father had often said that the parcel would make an excellent vineyard. He therefore approached the owners and persuaded them to sell.

Creating the vineyard entailed a lot of ground leveling work and Frédéric also had to remove trailer-loads of stones after ploughing. The entire plot was finally planted with Chardonnay over a three year period.

Today, the domaine can boast a superb vineyard on very stony terrain enjoying good exposure. The soil is clay-limestone, with a layer of marl lying at about 25 cm below the surface.  The layer of soil does not exceed 50 cm over the entire plot, but the earth is warm and ripens the grapes well.

The ground is littered with stones, which are fairly wide and flat. A bit like the slates of a roof.   These stones store up the daytime heat. The earth under the stones stays warm and at night, the stones give off heat which accelerates ripening. This is a frequently observed phenomenon.

PHILOSOPHY

Frédéric prefers to plough the soil (often manually) rather than use herbicides.

"It is more environmentally-friendly, I aerate the soil, and I help my vines to root down deep", says Frédéric. 

THE WINES

The Chardonnay, grown in around ten parcels, is the pride and joy of the vigneron and his father, Jean.  This variety does enjoy particularly good terroir here: semi-circular landscape facing south and overlooking the village of Martailly-les-Brancion.  Located on the upper slope, these stony clay-limestone soils are shallow, curbing yields yet helping the grape to express itself.

This wine, with a green-yellow hue, has a lovely clear, bright appearance.    It is expressive and fresh on the nose, often releasing aromas of white flowers and citrus (grapefruit).

On the palate, it shows lovely minerality and a fresh, attractive character.  This is a delicious, fruity wine that opens up about a year after the harvest.

"Like many of my fellow wine producers, I am passionate about my vines, I consider it my duty to do my bit for the family business"  Frédéric Touzot.