Behind Burgundy’s boutique micro-négoce: Les Parcellaires de Saulx

Les Parcellaires de Saulx is a new venture based around an old Maison de Vins in Meursault. Although owned by the same team who purchased Domaine Belleville in 2017, Les Parcellaires is a distinctly different operation.

Currently producing around 25,000 bottles every year, Les Parcellaires de Saulx’s objective is to become a leading boutique micro-négoce in the region, focussing on single vineyard plots. Ultimately the aim is to sell 60,000 bottles per annum.

Scroll down for Andy Howard MW’s tasting notes and scores of nine Les Parcellaires de Saulx wines

American couple Denise Dupré and Mark Nunnelly, along with ex-wine law lawyer Jean-Luc Vitoux, own the company. Dupré was the former Dean of the Boston University School of Hotel Administration, whilst Nunnelly was Managing Partner of Bain Capital Partners. Having met Vitoux in 2011, Dupré and Nunnelly purchased Champagne Leclerc Briant in 2012, followed by the Hotel le Royal Champagne in 2014.

The Les Parcellaires’ Meursault base was purchased at the same time as Domaine Belleville in 2017, with Dupré/Nunnelly also owning the hotel/restaurant Le Domaine de la Commaraine in Pommard.

The Maison de Vins in Meursault commands extensive views over Puligny and Meursault, with cellars stretching over 1,500 square metres. A small winemaking team is based here, headed up by experienced winemaker Isabelle Laurand. Les Parcellaires de Saulx work with leading growers in the Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune, buying in must for white wine vinification, along with finished red wines which are then élevaged by Laurand.

As with Domaine Belleville, the objective is not to blend wines but to work with, and emphasise, individual parcels and their terroir characteristics.

No new oak is used, to help draw out the subtleties of different sites, with the aim to carefully control oak ageing to give elegance rather than power. Les Parcellaires de Saulx currently produce close to 40 different labels, ranging from Generic Bourgogne Blanc and Rouge to several Grand Cru.

The list of Premier Crus reads more like a ‘who’s-who’ of the Côte d’Ôr with particular strength in Chassagne (1er Cru’s Morgeot and Clos Saint Jean) and Gevrey (1er Cru Fonteny, La Perrière, Les Corbeaux). Grand Cru currently comprise Chapelle and Charmes Chambertin, Corton Les Pererières, Clos du Vougeot and Clos de La Roche.

Of the wines recently tasted, Meursault 1er Cru Les Puruzots stood out among the whites as a top-draw white Burgundy, combining power with freshness. I felt that the oak was a little obvious on one or two of the lesser wines (Saint Romain) although the underlying terroir characteristics were still evident. Hopefully these will blossom over the next 6-12 months.

Red wines were generally impressive with standout wines from Nuits Saint Georges 1er Cru Les Murgers, a delightful Volnay Les Mitans and Chapelle Chambertin. The latter was drinking beautifully already but it would be a shame not to give this a further 2-3 years in the cellar to draw out even more subtlety and terroir character.

Although small, Les Parcellaires de Saulx is certainly a high quality négoce to watch with interest. Still in its formative years, the quality here is almost certain to rise as the winemaking team strive to get even more out of the individual plots they are working with.

See Andy Howard MW’s tasting notes and scores of Les Parcellaires de Saulx wines

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