Julien Altaber has worked in Saint Aubin just south of the city of Beaune for a number of years. We met him because he worked for the redoubtable Dominique Derain who, at that time, we were importing. Now, Julien and his partner Carole have bought Dominique’s business as well as continuing their own – and the wines from both are absolutely stunning!
Julien Altaber is a thoughtful person who has absorbed the art and the science of winemaking and decided to branch out with his own wines made from grapes sourced from some very good terroirs in the area.
We first tasted his wines at an event in Avallon near Chablis and we were entranced by their purity and charm. So we asked if we could import his wines as well.
Julien Altaber and Carole Schwab have now bought the Domaine Derain business in addition to their commitments to the Sextant domaine and will be making the Derain wines from now on.
You can read more about this change on the Domaine Derain page.
Sextant – Julien Altaber Vin de France Po à Po 2023
We love the fact that Julien Altaber is quite restless and is always searching for new challenges. It was therefore inevitable that he would make a skin contact wine using white grapes to produce an orange wine as they are known.
The wine is made from the wonderful Aligoté grape variety from a four hectare, 60 year old plot in the commune of Fley in the Côte Chalonnaise owned by Fanny et Damien Gressard.
The grapes were directly pressed then put in barrels for fermentation and aging.
It aged on its lees for 8 months prior to bottling.
Total sulphites 27 mg/l.
RRP: $85
Sextant – Julien Altaber – Clin d’Oeil 2022
Every year Julien Altaber seems to find new things to invent, depending upon the grapes that his biodynamic friends have to sell him.
This year (2019) he has again made a cuvée which is macerated Chardonnay (80%) for around ten days (it was Viognier last year) with some (20%) direct press Gamay (so the juice from the Gamay is clear juice, not red).
The grapes are grown in calcareous clay soils. The wine is stored in fibreglass tanks for around 5 months to settle.
This is an absolutely amazing example of an orange (skin contact) wine. It tastes fresh and vibrant, but it also displays everything that we love about skin contact wines that we love including soft, interesting tannins and other polyphenols and even a tiny bit of appealing bitterness at the back of the palate.
The result is an orange beauty which has lots of personality.
RRP: $78
Sextant – Julien Altaber – Ma Ma Mia 2022
We really like wines that are made from macerated Pinot Gris (the grapes purchased from Patrick Besson of Domaine du Moulin and grown on granitic soil in Bully in the south of Beaujolais) and this one is no exception.
The vines are approximately 30 years old on soils derived from bluestone.
The skin of the Pinot Gris grape variety is flecked with red/pink spots which, when the skin is left in contact with the juice for 12 days, gives up the colour to the juice. 50% of the grapes were destemmed and 50% were left as whole bunches.
Julien Altaber transfers the juice to old wooden barrels to mature for 8 months prior to bottling. The fermentation happened very quickly this year. This wine can accompany just about any type of food including spicy dishes.
This is a lovely, lovely drink. The level of tannins is just right for a wide range of foods and the complexity of the wine shines through and lasts and lasts.
The alcohol level is 12%.
RRP: $80
Sextant – Julien Altaber – Vin de France Métisse 2023
The first time Julien Altaber produced this cuvée he gave it the name Métisse (mixed) because it was a mix of both white and red grapes, namely Gamay and Chardonnay. Two years later we saw that there was only Gamay on the label, so we pointed out to Julien that the name was no longer reflective of how he was making the wine. He just gave us one of his cheeky smiles!
This wine is made with Gamay from Domaine Maxime Troncy in Cogny, in the Beaujolais. 50% is a maceration of whole bunches in a concrete vat for 12 days. The other 50% is directly pressed and vinified in a stainless steel tank.
After pressing, the macerated juice is blended with the directly-pressed juice and fermentation is completed as an ensemble. It is aged in stainless steel tanks for 6 months before bottling.
Total sulphites < 20 mg/l. Certified organic.
RRP: $52 (SOLD OUT)
Sextant – Vin de France Skinbull Pétillant Naturel 2023
Julien Altaber has taken his skin contact wines one step further this year with the release of a sparkling skin contact wine made from the Aligoté grape variety.
The wine is made from the wonderful Aligoté grape variety from a north-facing vineyard in excellent terroir near the famous village of Pommard. The fact that it is north facing means that the grapes ripen more slowly than if they were on a south facing slope and hence develop more flavour.
The grapes (50% destemmed and 50% whole bunches) were crushed and then, instead of the juice being run off, it was left in contact with the skins for a ten day period allowing the anthocyanins and other polyphenols in the skins and pips to leach into the juice.
It was bottled with residual sugar to allow the fermentation to continue to produce a nicely sparkling pet nat!
RRP: $63 (SOLD OUT)
Sextant – Julien Altaber Bourgogne Aligoté 2023
We love Aligoté, especially when it is grown in great terroir.
Unfortunately in Burgundy this grape is often relegated to lesser areas and Chardonnay is given priority.
However we have been lucky with our suppliers because they have either been handed down great vineyards of this grape variety or they have found them.
Fanny Sabre’s father loved drinking Aligoté so he planted some in the rich, red soils of the famous Pommard commune, Alice and Olivier de Moor have their old-vine Aligoté in the emerging Saint Bris area, Yann Durieux found a vineyard quite close to that of DRC in the hills behind Beaune, Sextant now owns a small parcel that Dominique Derain acquired in the La Combe lieu dit in Saint Aubin.
This wine is made from a 60 year old plot of Aligoté vines in the commune of Fley in the Côte Chalonnaise owned by Fanny et Damien Gressard.
The soil is clay and limestone and the exposition south-west. The grapes were directly-pressed and then put in barrels for fermentation and aging. It aged on its lees for 8 months prior to bottling.
Total sulphites 27 mg/l.
RRP: $67 (SOLD OUT)
Sextant – Julien Altaber Pét Nat Écume 2023
A blend of 50% of Aligoté and 50% Gamay from Julien Altaber and Carole Schwab.
The Aligoté is from Fanny and Damien Gressard, whose vines are in the commune of Saint-Gengoux-Le-National, in the Côte Chalonnaise.
The Gamay is from Bérengère Bézaud and Antoine Miguel, from a late ripening parcel on granitic soil in Jullié, in the northern part of Beaujolais.
Both are directly pressed and start fermenting in fibreglass tank. The completion of the alcoholic fermentation is blocked by cooling the tank. It is racked several times before blocking and then 2 months later is bottled.
The bottles are stored at approximately 20˚ for 3 weeks to encourage the resumption of fermentation. It is then aged in bottle for several months before release. It is not disgorged. No detectable sulphites. Certified organic.
RRP: $65 (SOLD OUT)
Sextant – Julien Altaber Bourgogne Blanc 2023
We were delighted when this wine from Julien Altaber and Carole Schwab arrived in Australia because it had not suffered from the journey at all. The first bottle of this 100% Chardonnay was alive and vibrant. The taste lingered on the tongue and the length was very pleasing.
The grapes for this wine are from a plot of 45 year old Chardonnay owned by Fanny and Damien Gressard (Saint-Gengoux-Le-National, in the Côte Chalonnaise).
The soil is clay and limestone and the exposition south-east. The grapes were directly pressed and fermented in barrels where it aged on its lees for 12 months prior to bottling.
Total sulphites <20 mg/l. The grapes are certified organic.
RRP: $82
Sextant – Julien Altaber Bourgogne Rouge 2022
This wine belies its humble Bourgogne Rouge tag. It is made from grapes picked from their vineyards around the village of Saint Aubin which is one of the emerging villages for both white and red Burgundy.
About half of the grapes for this 2022 vintage were destemmed and there was less pigeage this year as Julien Altaber and Carole Schwab are becoming more confident about letting the grapes do the talking.
It is a silky Pinot with elegance and structure. It is also very fresh and energetic. We like it a lot!.
It is 12.5% alcohol this year and, as usual, certified organic.
RRP: $82
Sextant – Intuition Les Fas Aligoté 2018
This is one of three new long barrel aging wines that Julien and Carole are experimenting with to great effect. This one sees the juice from the Aligoté grape aged over a long period to produce an wine of stunning flavour and deep texture.
We are particularly pleased to have this wine in our offerings as it shows just what a wonderful wine can be made from the Aligoté grape variety. This is a very serious wine!
RRP: $134 (SOLD OUT)
Sextant – Intuition Foudre Chardonnay 2018
This is one of three new barrel aged wines that Julien and Carole are experimenting with to great effect. As with the Les Fas described above, this is a long aged wine made from Chardonnay which underwent extended aging in foudre.
RRP: $148 (SOLD OUT)
Sextant – Secret de Cave 2016
This one is the last of the 3 aged wines we have received from Sextant. This one is just so interesting. It has been maturing for even longer than the other two and is also made from Chardonnay.
The exciting thing about this wine is that it has not been topped up in the barrel, but rather has been left to form a veil of dead yeast on top of the wine. This “veil” protects the wine from excess oxygen allowing it to gain an oxidative character but in a controlled way, just like in the Jura in the same way that Vin Jaune is made using the Savagnin grape variety.
RRP: $182 (SOLD OUT)
Sextant – Julien Altaber Saint-Aubin Blanc 1er Cru Blanc 2018
This silky premier cru Chardonnay is a new line from Julien and a very good one it is. It once again shows that the Saint Aubin appellation is capable of producing outstanding white wines due to the quality of the limestone soils here.
The plot is from one of the very best areas (La Chateniaire and La Combe au Sud) of this very good appellation and the careful handling of this cru wine shines through. Once the wine is pressed the wine is transferred into two old wooden barrels where it is left to mature until bottling.
We are amazed at the finesse and depth of this outstanding wine and we think it can give many of the nearby Puligny wines a run for their money!
RRP: $126 (SOLD OUT)
Sextant – Julien Altaber Puligny-Montrachet les Reuchaux Blanc 2015
The famed vineyards of Puligny-Montrachet lie south of the town of Beaune. In this region some of the most famous white wines in the world are produced. Les Reuchaux is a very good site with good exposure and excellent soil. This village-level appellation is emerging as a site for excellent white wines yet at prices that are around 25% of their more famous nearby cousins. The soils here are brown limestone alternating with marl and clay. We only received a very small allocation of these wines and we expect them to sell quickly to savvy buyers.
RRP: $119 (SOLD OUT)
Sextant – Julien Altaber Cote de Nuits Villages Rouge 2017
This delightful Pinot Noir is a village level appellation wine from the northern part of the Cote d’Or. Remember that the Cote d’Or is divided into the Cote de Nuits in the north running from just below the outskirts of Dijon down to, but not including the village of Pernand-Verglesses. It is in this area that you find such famous wines as Gevrey-Chambertin and Chambolle-Musigny to name a couple of appellations where you don’t have to sell your house to buy a bottle!
It is a beautifully structured wine showing notes of red berries and cherries with finely integrated tannins. You might even detect some of the characteristic Gevrey flavour in this wine!
There has been no sulphite added to this wine and the alcohol level is a sensible 12%.
RRP: SOLD OUT
Sextant – Julien Altaber Monthélie 1er Cru Sur La Velle Rouge 2022
If you drive south out of Beaune on the D973 you very soon pass through the famous wine villages of Pommard and Volnay and then arrive at Meursault on the left side of the road and Monthélie on the right.
The Monthélie vineyards are, in fact, very close to some of the finest vineyards of Volnay! It is definitely an appellation to watch. The soils are excellent, the exposure good and the proximity to the other fine appellations means that great wines are possible here.
This is a very fresh and lively wine with good tannin structure, lively acidity and flavours of cherries and red berries.
If you are looking for a wine from an emerging and exciting appellation then you should give this one a try!
Unfortunately, due to the popularity of this amazing Pinot Noir, we have sold all the 750 ml bottles that arrived in the recent shipment.
RRP: $116
Sextant – Julien Altaber Foufou’nette 2022
This cuvée has become part of the standard production despite it being originally an experiment and a fun thing to do! Here Julien has made this amazing pétillant naturel with a difference. And the difference is that it is made primarily from the Aligoté grape variety which has had an infusion of apricots!
Julien puts a large “tea bag” of apricots in with the fermenting wine and it develops undertones of the apricots without dominating the resultant sparkling wine.
Why did he do such a radical thing for this wine. Well, it is all rather simple. The famous Belgian brewer of lambic beers, Cantillon, has a beer called Fou’Foune and guess what they do. You guessed, they add 300 grams of apricots for every one litre of beer and leave it to macerate for 5 weeks. So this is an homage to a beer that Julien likes very much.
You will notice that this sparkling wine is labelled as “Extra Brut” which indicates that there has been no dosage, that is no sugar added to this cuvée.
Last year we had very limited quantities of this wine and we have to admit that we drank most of it ourselves! This year there is still a limited number of bottles available but we are offering them to whoever gets in first.
RRP: $60 (SOLD OUT)
Sextant – Julien Altaber Coteaux Bourguignons 2023
Coteaux Bourguignons is a relatively new appellation in Burgundy and wines can be made under this appellation from the southernmost part at the bottom of Beaujolais to the northernmost part up near Chablis.
This wine is made from a 35 year old plot of co-planted Pinot Noir and Gamay vines in the commune of Fley in the Côte Chalonnaise owned by Fanny and Damien Gressard.
The soil is clay and limestone and the exposition south-west.
Whole bunch maceration and aging in various vessels (usually part foudre and part barrels but we don’t have the details for this vintage).
Total sulphites < 20 mg/l. Certified organic.
RRP: $62 (SOLD OUT)
Sextant – Julien Altaber Bourgogne Gamay 2023
This is a new Sextant cuvée from Julien Altaber and Carole Schwab. The grapes are from Château des Jean Loron in Chénas, cultivated by Guillaume Bouchacourt.
The vines are old (approximately 65 years) located at the bottom of granite slopes. It has a southerly exposure but the surrounding large trees and a stream help keep it cool in the height of summer.
Whole bunches were macerated in a concrete tank for one month. After pressing aging was in a stainless steel tank for approximately 8 months. Interestingly Julien and Carole choose to use the appellation Bourgogne Gamay, which is allowed, rather than Chénas. Total sulphites: 13 mg/l.
RRP: $70 (SOLD OUT)
Sextant – Julien Altaber Rully 1er Cru Blanc 2022
This is a new wine for us from Julien Altaber and Carole Schwab and a very special one indeed.
The Chardonnay grapes are sourced from 70 year old vines at Domaine de Surremain (Château de Monthelie) that they maintain in the Rully area. The soil is clay and limestone and the exposition south-east. It was directly pressed and the wine aged in barrels on its lees for 18 months. Its minerality is quite Juraesque.
Total sulphites: <20 mg/l.
RRP: $149 (SOLD OUT)
You can find a little more information about Julien and Carole’s wines on their Website at Sextant.
