Domaine Sylvie Esmonin
Domaine Sylvie Esmonin
Domaine Sylvie Esmonin
Domaine Sylvie Esmonin

Domaine Sylvie Esmonin

Domaine Sylvie Esmonin is a wine producer based in the village of Gevrey-Chambertin in Burgundy's Côte de Nuits subegion, producing a range of wines from vineyards sites in both the Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune. The majority of the wines produced by the estate are Pinot Noir-based, but it does also have a single white wine within its portfolio made from Chardonnay grapes.

The Esmonin family originally came from nobility and has lived in the Burgundy region since the reign of the Dukes of Burgundy (which ended in the 15th Century). The estate was previously known as Domaine Michel Esmonin et Fille, named after the father of the current proprietor, Sylvie Esmonin.

Domaine Sylvie Esmonin has five hectares (12 acres) of vineyards in Gevrey-Chambertin, of which 1.6 hectares (3.9 acres) are located within Gevrey-Chambertin's most renowned Premier Cru climat: Clos Saint-Jacques. Esmonin's section of this vineyard lies at its northern end – directly out of the back of the winery.

No herbicides have been used since 1990 and the domaine is farmed more or less organically, though not systematically so. Sylvie now tends to pick later than her father did and with lower yields. This, combined with a different oak regime in the cellar has noticeably changed the style of wine here since the turn of the millennium. The juice is allowed to start fermenting quickly, with some punching down to break up the whole bunches which are now used for the top cuvees, encouraging the sugars to ferment. Total vatting time is around two weeks, before decanting the wine into barrel, including a high proportion of new wood especially from Dominique Laurent’s cooperage. The wines are extremely stylish with typical Gevrey firmness but displaying also a silky elegance.