Domaine Derain – History
Domaine Derain is a biodynamic producer in Burgundy with vines in a number of different Burgundian appellations. Understanding where Domaine Derain is at requires a bit of reading, but hang in here and we will try to explain what has happened and how we are involved.
Dominique Derain started his career making wine barrels but decided, instead, to study winemaking in Beaune. In 1988 he and his wife Catherine purchased 5.5 hectares of vineyards in Saint-Aubin just south of Beaune and began tending the vines biodynamically and making their wines in a non-interventionist way as well. This formed the basis of Domaine Derain.
The Saint-Aubin appellation is one of the hidden secrets of Burgundy because the vineyards border those of the premier crus of Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet but do not command anywhere near their price.
Some years ago Dominique and Catherine were joined by an eager young assistant Julien Altaber who wanted to learn the finer points of natural winemaking and Dominique was an ideal teacher. As the business grew there was plenty of work for Julien helping Dominique in the vineyards and in the winery.
And there was also a lot of administrative work, so Dominique hired a young woman named Carole Schwab to help in the office but also to assist with wine tastings and other work in the cellars. Carole does have formal wine training and qualifications.
Domaine Derain – New Beginning
A few years ago, Dominique officially retired from Domaine Derain. Julien and his now partner Carole bought the domaine from him.
Julien, in addition to working for Dominique, had started his own domaine (Sextant) some years before, initially making his own wine in Dominique’s cellar, so it was a natural changing of the guard.
You can see the change of ownership in the labels. The older labels reference ‘Catherine & Dominique Derain’ and the new wines are labelled ‘Domaine Derain’. Some of the labels on the Web site might still be from before the change of ownership, but all the wines we are now selling are from the new era of Domaine Derain.
However, although no longer an owner, Dominique is still intimately involved in the cellar and vineyard. He may not have the responsibility any more but as a mentor he is still ever-present. He maybe waxing (he is still the master) or labelling bottles and he always tastes the Derain wines with us.
For us, it has been a wonderful generational change. Plus thanks to his freedom to travel more, we have the occasional unique cuvée from somewhere else where Dominique has been making wine – first it was Chile and next it is the south of France.
The wines are certified biodynamic by Ecocert and have been certified since 1989.
Domaine Derain Chut … Derain 2023
Although this sparkling wine is made with méthode traditionnelle it cannot be labelled as a Crémant de Bourgogne because the requirement is for at least 30% Pinot Noir or Chardonnay and this, happily, is 100% Aligoté.
This Domaine Derain is quite unusual for a sparkling wine in the Burgundy region at present.
It comes from a plot in the commune of Corpeau which is a commune just north of the village of Chagny and which also borders the amazing terroir of Chassagne-Montrachet. The soil is clay and chalky limestone, a combination supporting acidity and freshness, making the grapes very suitable for this type of vinification.
It was aged for 12 months sur lattes, disgorged but with no dosage. 12% ABV. Total sulphites 6 mg/l.
RRP: $80
Domaine Derain Bourgogne Aligoté 2024
The grapes for this wine, from vines which are from the estate of Dominique Derain which is now owned by Carole and Julien from Sextant who are the new owners of Domaine Derain. This is the oldest Aligoté plot, and the grapes are harvested at the end of the vintage.
It produces small golden grapes, which makes for an intense and rich wine. The vines are located in the lower part of Puligny-Montrachet, on clay-silt soil, an area that is famous for the quality of the wines produced in this area.
The harvested grapes are directly pressed then fermented and aged in barrels and a foudre for 6 months.
The result is a beautiful, rich and compelling wine that shows off the Aligoté grape variety to its maximum extent. It is a good example of why Aligoté is returning to its rightful place in the pantheon of grape varieties.
11.5% ABV. Total sulphites < 20 mg/l .
RRP: $68
Domaine Derain Vin de France Allez Goutons Blanc 2023
The Allez Goutons is a beautiful white wine made from Aligoté, one of our favourite white wine grapes.
This vintage was made with Aligoté from a parcel planted in 2019 in the commune of Corpeau, which is a few minutes drive to the south-east from Julien and Carole’s Saint-Aubin cellar and just south of Puligny-Montrachet.
The soil is clay which is rich in ferric oxides. The wine was directly pressed and aged in a stainless steel tank. It was bottled approximately 3 months after the harvest.
The wine has a line of lemony acidity, saltiness and minerality common with Derain white wines but all in the context of providing an uncomplicated, fun moment. It’s not a wine to contemplate but interesting enough that it might cause you to stop briefly and, while enjoying its savoury fruitiness and liveliness, think about the rocks that contributed to its flavour.
For this vintage the alcohol level is a pleasant 12%.
RRP: $65 (SOLD OUT)
Domaine Derain Vin de France Allez Goutons Rouge 2023
Normally, we have imported the white version of Allez Goutons because that is the only one that has been made in the easy-drinking style adopted for this label.
Luckily, we have been fortunate to secure some of the red version of the Allez Goutons again this year.
It is a fresh lively red wine made from the Pinot Noir grape variety with moderate alcohol (12.5%) and designed for early drinking. We should add here that everyone we have shown this wine to over the past week or so has been delighted with the depth of flavour and the energy displayed by this wine.
Previously the grapes for this cuvee came from a small plot in Pommard, however this year they come from a parcel located in the Corpeau commune in the lieu dit “Les Corcelottes” on clay and loam soil. This lieu dit is just a 7 minute drive from Saint Aubin where Julien and Carole have their winery in Saint Aubin. It is also very close to some of the finest terroir on the Cote d’Or including Poligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet which explains the liveliness displayed by this wine.
The making of this wine is interesting. As a start, 70% of the grapes were macerated for 7 days as whole bunches. The remainder were direct pressed to produce white juice. After the 7 days the two lots (the red juice and the white juice to produce a lighter red) were combined and transferred to stainless steel vats where they aged for 1 month during which the juice clarified.
Finally the wine was bottled in November 2023, with no filtration and no added sulphites.
This is yet another example of how a red wine can be made lighter and fresher by incorporating direct press juice which is much lower in tannins and other polyphenols than the macerated juice.
We were delighted when it arrived in Australia fresh as a daisy and ready for immediate drinking.
RRP: $65 (SOLD OUT)
Domaine Derain Bourgogne Les Riaux Rouge 2023
The Les Riaux for 2023 has a label that reflects the change in ownership of the Derain domaine.
You will notice that the name is now Domaine Derain and, if you look really carefully, at the bottom of the label you will see the names of Carole and Julien from Sextant who are the new owners. We have written more about the changeover in the introduction to this section.
This wine is an entry level Bourgogne red with the vines thriving on the Puligny-Montrachet plains quite close to the Aligoté vines.
These Pinot Noir vines were planted on the plain of Corpeau in the late 1980s. They have always been cultivated organically. The soil is clay-loam with iron oxides.
The grapes (70% destemmed) were macerated in a conical wooden tank for 20 days with daily punch downs for the last 10 days. They were pressed and racked to barrels where the alcoholic fermentation was completed. They were aged in barrel for 10 months prior to assembling and bottling.
13% ABV. 15 mg/l total sulphites.
RRP: $85
Domaine Derain Saint-Aubin 2023
This wine is from a parcel of 40 year old Chardonnay in the commune of Corpeau on a gentle north-facing slope. The soil is white clay which always gives the wine vivacity.
The grapes were directly-pressed and then put in barrels for fermentation and aging. It aged on its lees for 15 months prior to bottling.
13% ABV. Total sulphites 19 mg/L.
RRP: $125 (SOLD OUT)
Domaine Derain Saint-Aubin Le Ban Rouge 2023
The Le Ban is one of the best wines from the Derain vineyards! The wines here tend to reflect the vintage especially when it encourages slow but steady growth in the vineyard leading to wines with good structure and length.
Le Ban is lieu-dit just to the west of Saint-Aubin and is classified as Saint-Aubin village. The Domaine Derain plot in Le Ban is the first vineyard Dominique Derain purchased.
It is tiny and now consists of .6 hectare of approximately 60 year old vines and .23 hectares of young vines, all of which are Pinot Noir.
The exposure is southerly and the soil gravelly clay and limestone.
For the wine, a mix of 80% destemmed and 20% whole bunches were macerated for 18 days, then pressed and aged in 228 litre barrels for 11 months.
ABV 12.5%. 31 mg/l total sulphites.
RRP: $107 for 2023 and $121 for 2022
Domaine Derain Mercurey La Plante Chassey Rouge 2023
This is an interesting cuvee because it has a small amount of Pinot Beurot (Malvoisie, Pinot Gris) blended with the dominant Pinot Noir. (Incidentally, Pinot Liébault, which is a mutant of Pinot Noir is also permitted in this appellation).
The Mercurey appellation is increasingly receiving critical acclaim as a number of young winemakers have recognised the attractive nature of the terroir here and are producing wines of considerable elegance.
These Pinot Noir vines are over a 100 years old located on marl soils at the foot of the slopes facing east.
The grapes (70% destemmed) were macerated for 15 days in conical wooden vats. After pressing the wine was aged for 10 months on its lees in 228 litre barrels.
12.5% ABV. 35 mg/l total sulphites.
RRP: $114 for 2022, $120 for 2023
Domaine Derain Pommard Les Petits Noizons Rouge 2021 and 2022
There is lots of limestone here because it is quite close to one of our favourite villages in Burgundy, namely Pommard!
This village is well known for the intense, structured red wines that benefit from the iron-rich, red, clay-limestone soils that surround the village. This is why red wines are particularly favoured here – Pinot Noir has a particular affinity for these soils and therefore the Pommard reds are sought after.
The Les Petits Noizons lieu dit, which is one of the best sites in Pommard, is quite close to the village of Pommard (less than half a kilometre) and is on the South-East facing hillside that you drive down to get to the village
After harvest, 50% of the grapes are destemmed and all the grapes are macerated for 16 days. The vinification of this wine is in conical wooden, 228 litre barrels where it is aged for 11 months.
These wines display a lively, strong, structured deep-red colour showing all the complexity and elegance you would expect from a Pommard!
We would advise you to put these wines down for a couple of years as they typically have some volatility when young. Once they have rested for a while they show their full promise.
RRP: $183 for 2022, $157 for 2021
Domaine Derain Gevrey-Chambertin En Vosne Rouge 2019 and 2022
Gevrey-Chambertin is well known for the intense, structured red wines produced around this village which lies on the Cote d’Or just south of the city of Dijon.
The vines in this En Vosne vineyard are nearly 90 years old! Therefore there is structure and depth of flavour coming from them.
This is a superb wine of considerable complexity and great elegance. At a number of recent tastings this has been a stand out wine that has charmed all who have tried it. It is a beautiful Burgundy at a very reasonable price for a Gevrey Chambertin.
Note that there are only small quantities of this vintage available due to the poor growing season. The price also reflects the dramatically plunging Australian dollar.
RRP: $280 for 2019 and 2022
Domaine Derain Bourgogne La Combe Blanc 2023
The label on the Domaine Derain La Combe, with a number of almost impenetrable in-jokes about Derain and his wines. The picture on the left only shows part of the complete wrap-around label.
Don’t worry about the fact that this is a ‘simple’ Bourgogne wine. The vines from which this wine is made have an excellent pedigree as you can see in the next paragraph.
This wine is from a parcel of Chardonnay in the heart of the village of Puligny-Montrachet, planted by Dominique Derain in 1987, when he was starting his estate. Pulingny-Montrachet is well known as producing some of the great white wines of Burgundy!
It has always been in biodynamics. The soil is clay and chalky limestone. The grapes were directly-pressed and then put in barrels for fermentation and aging. It aged on its lees for 18 months prior to bottling. 13.5% ABV. Total sulphites <16 mg/l.
RRP: $90 (SOLD OUT)
Domaine Derain Saint-Aubin Premier Cru Les Murgers des Dents de Chien Blanc 2022
The soil here is very thin and the vines must struggle to gain a foothold among the limestone rocks. But this struggle produces what many claim are the best wines from Saint-Aubin.
The name is made up from two aspects of this vineyard. Murgers are small walls built from the rocks that were removed from the site to plant the vines. And Dents de Chien translates as dog’s teeth which refers to the white (calcareous) triangular rocks found in the vineyard.
The vines are approximately 35 years old located on the rocky slopes of Montrachet, just above the Grand Cru vineyards of Puligny-Montrachet facing south-east. The soil is very hard stony clay-limestone and the roots find their way through the fissures.
The grapes are directly pressed and transferred to barrels for alcoholic fermentation. It is aged on its lees for 18 months prior to bottling.
13% ABV. 18 mg/l total sulphites.
RRP: $288 for 2022
Domaine Derain Saint-Aubin 1er Cru “En Remilly“ 2023
This wine is made from Chardonnay vines planted by Dominique Derain in 1988 in En Remilly, one of Saint-Aubin’s most renowned premier cru vineyards.
It sits on the rocky part of Montrachet just above the iconic grand crus of Puligny-Montrachet. En Remilly sits between “Les Murgers Des Dents de Chien” and the N6, which is the main road for entry into Saint-Aubin.
It is a very sunny south-facing plot and the rocky, very hard limestone is almost marble-like forcing the roots to grow between the fissures.
The vines have always been tended using biodynamic methods. The grapes are directly-pressed and then put in barrels for fermentation and aging. It was aged for 18 months on its lees before bottling in May 2025.
13.5% ABV. 16 mg/litre total sulphites.
RRP: $189
Domaine Derain Saint-Aubin En Vesvau Blanc NV
This wine by Domaine Derain is made from Chardonnay grapes picked from the En Vesvau plot of land in the Saint Auban commune that is fast becoming recognised as one of the best areas in Burgundy for white wines. Some of the lieux dit here abut those of the very famous Montrachet vineyards.
There is a difference with the Saint-Aubin cuvée En Vesvau this year, a wine we have not had since the 2016 vintage. It is a blend of two vintages – 2 barrels of the rich 2018 vintage and half a barrel (the total harvest) from 2019, a vintage with plenty of acidity but which was largely destroyed before it began by frost in mid April and early May.
It’s an extraordinary wine, from a plot just to the east of the village of Gamay. Below it are the 1er cru wines of Saint-Aubin and it’s interesting that despite it being a Saint-Aubin village appellation, Carole and Julien have priced this wine the same as their Saint-Aubin 1er Cru En Remilly, which is a little further south, closer to Puligny-Montrachet
RRP: $157 (SOLD OUT)
Domaine Derain Bourgogne Blanc Landré 2023
When you pour a glass of this lovely Domaine Derain Chardonnay you will first notice the golden colour with hues of green. But don’t spend too long admiring the colour as it is the mouth-enveloping flavour that will really impress you.
Landré is a newish parcel (lieu dit) of Bourgogne Blanc for the domaine named after the former owner of the plot. The vines are actually around forty-five years old.
At only 0.3 of a hectare, it is adjacent to their Le Riaux Pinot Noir plot. At this size there will never be very much of this wine, but the site ensures that the wine will always be of high quality due to the white clay soils here.
The vines grow on a north facing slope which sees the northerly winds helping to keep mildew at bay. The grapes are pressed directly, alcoholic fermentation is carried out in wooden barrels and the wine is rested on lees for 15 months prior to bottling.
13% ABV. Total sulphites 19 mg/L.
RRP: $85 (SOLD OUT)
Domaine Derain Saint-Aubin Blanc 2022
The Chardonnay grapes in the Domaine Derain Saint-Aubin Blanc were formerly part of the cuvée En Vesvau, but from more gravelly soil, which Julien decided to keep separate. So, the wine is from the Saint-Aubin appellation which is famous for its white wines in particular due to its proximity to Puligny-Montrachet.
The grapes for this wine are farmed organically and biodynamically to ensure that the fruit is able to be picked in perfect condition and with great juice. At harvest time the grape bunches are hand harvested to ensure that the grapes stay in perfect condition and no sulphur is added to the grapes .
The whole bunches are pressed (although sometimes Julien decides to partially destem the bunches), fermented using only the natural yeasts that are on or in the grapes and then matured in aged French oak barriques for 18 months before being bottled unfiltered, unsulphured and unfined.
This is a delicious wine that will drink very nicely for a number of years, but is tasting very nice right now!
RRP: $124 (SOLD OUT)
You can see some nice photos of the Sextant and Domaine Derain vineyards on their Instagram site here.
Dominique Derain
Dominque still dabbles in winemaking. You can read about these wines on his own page.
