Claire Naudin is one of our favorite winemakers of Burgundy, where she is based in the small commune of Magny-lès-Villers, straddling the border between the appellations of the Côtes-de-Beaune and the Côtes-de-Nuits.

Naudin did not envision a career in wine for herself. After completing her studies in geology and agrononmy, she traveled and worked in vineyards in Australia and New Zealand, before returning to France and discovering her passion for creating natural wines. Nearly three decades ago Naudin took over the 22-hectare Domaine Naudin Ferrand estate and began converting it to sustainable growing and winemaking practices.

She avoids using chemicals in her vineyards, not just because of their detrimental long-term effect on soil quality, but because of what she believes to be the threat they pose to the health of her workers. Her wines are heavily influenced by traditional Burgundy methods. In the cellar she uses only native yeasts for fermentation, and does not fine or filter her wines. Yet, though she employs sustainable practices, she refuses to apply for organic certification, as she's against any standardization of wine. 

As a mother of three as well as a winemaker she is dedicated to the preservation and continuation of what's been handed down to her.

FEATURED PRODUCTS:

Claire Naudin 'Orchis Mascula' 2018 - $78.00

Claire Naudin is not Burgundy's most famous producer, but she's culty, and it's for great reason — sensitive, an immensely devoted grower, with a refusal to accept the winemaking dictums of her region and the viticulture taken for granted there. 'Orchis Mascula' is taken from three plots of 30 year-old vines and is always aged in barriques for 18 to 20 months. SO2 only added at bottling. These Pinot Noirs aren't always from the top top vineyards in Burgundy, but that's not why you drink Claire: you drink her for the forested, mystical, dark-purple-into-black fruit her wines provide, for the tension between softness and severity.

Claire Naudin Aligoté 'Le Clou 34' 2018 - $44.00

One of the most beautiful iterations of this lesser-loved Burgundian grape being produced today. Naudin's Aligoté comes from several plots of extremely old vines, ranging from the '30s to the '70s in origin. The result of the caliber of these old plots and her steady winemaking is clear: subtle, textural, and beautifully perfumed, this is white Burgundy with an herbal and pithy cut; it's a very strong argument for continued plantation of this variety instead of the monocultural Chardonnay.

Claire Naudin Bourgogne Rouge 'La Plante' 2020 - $46.00

Flinty, earthen, ethereal: the sultry and moving dark side of Burgundy, even in a wine as seemingly simple as "just" a Bourgogne rouge. Purple and black fruit here, with a tension on the palate and a touch of rusticity. This is red wine for the fireplace, for roast meat, and not because it's big and bold, but rather because it exemplifies what great wine is supposed to be about: intensity without weight. Naudin is a master of Pinot Noir, and her entry-level wines are still blessedly affordable (for now). Don't miss.

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