Our Wineries

The challenge with Burgundy is to find good quality wines that are vaguely affordable.  Francis Lechauve’s wines are such a find.

Francis is a Burgundian to his bones.  Born there, he went to school at Lycee Viticole in Beaune and had been working in his neighbours vineyards since the age of 12. By the time he was in his late teens he was already working in wineries in Pommard and St Romaine.  In 1989 he went to work for Andre Porcheret at Domaine Douhairet Porcheret in Monthelie.  After a 17 year apprenticeship he left to establish his own winery.

His vineyard philosophy is simple.  Work by hand, vine by vine with controlled yields, hand harvesting and bunch sorting in the vineyard before again being sorted in the winery.  His winery philosophy is, on the surface, equally simple.  Hands off, using natural yeasts, with vinification and aging dictated by the wine and the season.  If a wine needs more time, it gets more time.  Oak is used sparingly with no more than 30% new oak for his top reds.

Now, with his own vineyard holdings supplemented by working as a negociant to further access to other vineyards, he is fast establishing a reputation as one of Burgundy’s “hidden gems”.  Unfortunately he is not likely to remain under the radar for very long.