Know-how
The Domaine de Courcel is still owned and run by the founding family. It has always produced wines with strong tannins and great density, something that is rare on the Côte de Beaune.
Since 1996, with the help of the oenologist Yves Confuron, the Domaine has worked on increasing the intensity of its wines and the specificities of the various “terroirs”, while maintaining their elegance.
The Domaine has developed a unique know-how, combining both traditional and modern methods for the vineyard, the wine making and maturing (“élevage”). The techniques used respect both the “terroirs” and the environment.
Ground work
The soil is ploughed to favour intense biological activity, which enables the vines to better assimilate the minerals of the soil. The ploughing also helps the root of the vine penetrate deeper into the ground for a better expression of the terroir.
Vine pruning and late harvest
The ripeness of the grape is optimised. Each vine is pruned so that each grape receives sufficient nourishment. De-budding and green harvesting in early August further enhance this delicate equilibrium. The final harvest is done relatively late so that the September sunshine increases the sugar intensity.
Low temperature maceration and fermentation
The wine making is done over a period of one month. After a very thorough selection, grapes are delicately deposited in a wine vat. Cold maceration followed by low-temperature fermentation enables a better extraction of the aromas of the wine. Delicate reassembly in the wine vat is done to enhance the colour and the tannins. The process ends with a final post -fermentation carbonic maceration adapted to each cuvée.
Long wine maturing in oak barrels
The maturing of the wine is done in carefully selected oak barrels, which are replaced by third each year. After a one month extraction, the wine is matured during a period of 21 to 23 months. After racking (“sous-tirage”), the wines are bottled without any treatment or manipulation.
The management of the vineyard aims to limit the output to around 25hl/ha (30,000 bottles a year) and to work towards optimised ripeness.