Domaine Georges Glantenay
Volnay, Cote de Beaune
Sitting with Sarah Glantenay in the cellar that she and her brother Guillaume built, in a quiet corner of Volnay up the hill from the Cave de Ducs, it is hard to overstate the palpable determination here–one brought to bear in the service not of commercialism, but of artisanal work, honoring a long but interestingly understated history in some of the great terroirs of Volnay, Pommard, Chambolle, and more. Though in some ways a new address, for lovers of the old-school–that is, of detailed, complete, and terroir-specific Burgundy–the wines of Domaine Georges Glantenay will be happily received.
This side of the Glantenay clan has for five generations farmed vines in and around Volnay, that locale best known for profound elegance alongside requisite concentration. The family has had from both sides an envious set of holdings, and while the majority of the vineyard holdings were farmed the fruit had been sold to top-tier clientele. But here the work of the family changed in 2014 when Guillaume took the reins in the cellar–rebuilt to allow gravity flow and a more coherent cellar capacity–alongside his sister Sarah. Farming here has always been excellent, however, with a bevvy of old vines well past their half-century and a family preference for massale selections for propagation.
But recognizing clearly the quality of their family’s holdings, Sarah and Guillaume chose to speak up for their family’s vineyards upon the conclusion of leases, building a new cave for vinification and aging, and engaging in the work of communicating the specificity of Volnay’s terroirs like few can. Here, at Glantenay, one can taste the differences of Volnay 1er crus from end to end: Santenots and Robardelle toward Meursault; Le Ronceret in Volnay’s center; and Les Brouillards at the cusp of Pommard. Their holdings extend into Pommard, Meursault, and even Chambolle, where a minute plot of Chambolle Feusselottes planted in the 1940s completes a compelling picture.
The differences between all these plots are striking, of course, made so in part by the transparent style of Guillaume’s winemaking. Fruit is generally picked on the earlier side and de-stemmed–though 2024 will see a small amount of whole bunches–rigorously sorted and treated quite delicately in fermentation, with a strong preference for pumping over to infuse the grapes rather than extract excessive tannins. Aging generally in 20% new barrel or less, with ~30% for the top 1er Crus. Each wine bottled with its yearly production, the results speak for themselves: wines that are transparent but serious, composed but engaging, already delicious but certainly deserving of time in the cellar.
Wines:
● Georges Glantenay Bourgogne Côte d’Or Blanc “Les Lameroses”
● Georges Glantenay Meursault Les Santenots
● Georges Glantenay Bourgogne Côte d’Or Rouge “Maison Dieu”
● Georges Glantenay Volnay AOC
● Georges Glantenay Volnay Vieilles Vignes
● Georges Glantenay Pommard AOC
● Georges Glantenay Chambolle-Musigny AOC
● Georges Glantenay Volnay 1er Cru Le Ronceret
● Georges Glantenay Volnay 1er Cru Les Brouillards
● Georges Glantenay Volnay 1er Cru Les Santenots
● Georges Glantenay Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens-Hauts
