Sylvain Debord, Savigny-Lès-Beaune 1er Cru 2022

Sylvain Debord is Burgundian by birth and by heart. He studied at the Lycée Viticole de Beaune in 1991, where he met many talented winegrowers including Nicolas Potel with whom he has worked since 2006. From 1994, Sylvain studied at the University of Burgundy, where he contributed to several technical research projects which continued into the 2000s. At the same time, he managed the UB Experimental Viticultural Centre in Marsannay-la-Côte, with which he still maintains regular contact. Sylvain is passionate about respecting the natural environment, cultural environments and conserving the land for future generations and he vinifies grapes from his close network of vineyard partners, which covers a mosaic of vineyards and appellations. He uses a minimalist and refined approach to produce his signature style and his wines are elegant, pure and fresh. We are delighted to add them to our portfolio.

The 2022 season was characterised by abundance and excellence. The season started early, with bud-break at the beginning of April. Flowering in mid-June took place under sunny and warm weather, which was followed by a rapid fruit set. Summer was hot and mostly dry, although periodic rain refreshed the vines. Harvest started on 2nd September and produced wines with balancing acidity and concentration.

The grapes come from a combination of three plots within the Savigny-Lès-Beaune 1er Cru appellation. The plots are situated on east-facing slopes which benefit from the gentle early morning sun. They have an average gradient of 5% and are located at an elevation of 255 metres, where the continental climate offers warm sunny days and cool nights, which naturally imparts balancing acidity to the grapes. The soils are made up of clay and limestone, which offer an ideal balance of water retention properties from the clay, while the limestone imbues the wines with elegance. Cultivated according to traditional methods, the vines are maintained with a large and aerated canopy for sun protection. They are sustainably farmed with practices such as using fresh compost from local farms to nourish the vines. General treatments include copper and sulphur, and mechanical ploughing takes place to maintain the vineyard soils. Hand harvested.

Whole bunch fermentation took place in stainless steel tanks with wild yeasts, lasting three weeks. Vinification took place without a cool pre-fermentation; however, the final fermentation took place at warm temperatures, gently coaxing out the colour, flavour and aromatics. The wine was gently pumped over by gravity and punching down took place by foot. Aged for 12 months in 228-litre French oak barrels of which 30% were new oak, 30% were used once and 40 % were third use.