Michaël says: “This is a domain that I’ve been following for the last 10-15 years. I’ve always been a big fan of their wines, and the 2018 is so damn good. For me, they’ve long been my reference producer for Rully and are able to make great wines across both colours, with each of their cuvées having differentiation from one another. It’s amazingly approachable now, but also has a good life ahead of it. There’re many white Burgundy producers to look at other than the Côte de Beaune, especially so with the incredible value presented from other parts, such as Côte Châlonnaise, and in particular with the wines of Dureuil-Janthial. The traditional ‘hierarchy’ of Burgundy is in need of a review, with the quality of wines now being seen from the southern end of the region beginning to rival, and best, many of their Côte de Beaune counterparts. Prices in Burgundy are increasing, so to still see such good value with such great quality requires exploration outside of the ‘tried and true’ appellations. Their 2018 Rully Blanc has a ripeness to it yet retains a tension; there’s reduction there without it being merely ‘make-up’ on the wine. The work on the vines and through the élevage results in wines that are so precise and pure.
I have a philosophy of creating my wine-by-the-glass program in restaurants where I wanted to avoid playing it “safe” by using a generic Bourgogne Blanc or Rouge. Instead, I would look towards appellations such as Rully to help promote lesser-known producers and would often find myself splashing Dureuil-Janthial in guest’s glasses.”
Domaine Dureuil-Janthial is amongst the leading domaines of the Côte Chalonnaise. Based in Rully, which is less than 10 kilometres south from Chassagne-Montrachet, they have long led the charge of quality wines from the region and now rank not just amongst the top tier of the Côte Chalonnaise but Burgundy as a whole. Vincent Dureuil took over the estate in 1994 at the tender age of 24 and in the ensuing years has catapulted the quality of the wines to new heights. He is a firm believer that “because wine is first grown in the vineyard, we have chosen to respect the land and let the soils and vineyards live, to produce committed and accurate wines of great purity and a frank personality.” The domaine now extends to 20 hectares, predominantly in the Côte Chalonnaise, which are tended to organically and with soil cultivation. In the cellars, the wines are handled gently with minimal usage of new oak, natural fermentations and very minimal additions through the winemaking process. Few winemakers have shown such a quality hand at producing wines in both whites and reds as Vincent Dureuil.