Vineyards throughout the Côte d'Or.
Passionate about his craft, Erick Lavallée founded this 22-hectare domaine in Saint Bris le Vineux, a small village near Chablis, in 1987. The production is split between a small amount of Chablis and much of the "Auxerrois" appellation with Saint Bris, Bourgogne Côte d'Auxerre and Irancy. Erick Lavallée uses a blend of advanced technology and traditional know-how to bring out the typical expression of the wine and its appellation. He very carefully tends his vines all year round. The soil is worked sustainably, i.e. through observing and supporting the vine in all stages of its development. This technique allows the soil to be preserved and reduces the risk of pollution. After the harvest, the white grape varieties are taken to the pneumatic press for a gentle pressing that enables us to obtain the juice from the grapes without extracting the herbaceous aromas from the vegetal elements. After settling, the juice ferments in temperature-controlled stainless-steel vats using the action of native yeasts. This allows us to preserve the natural flavours of the grape variety as well as the typical character of our terroirs. The wines are then aged on their lees for 9 to 12 months going into bottling. The Pinot Noir macerates in concrete tanks for about two weeks to give the juice its tannins and ruby red colour. The cap is punched down manually. Thanks to the action of native yeasts, the juice is transformed into wine. At the end of the fermentation, the wine is heated to 30°C to fix the colour. This is followed by the pressing and the ageing of the wine. Some of the wines destined for bottle-ageing are aged in oak barrels, whereas others go into stainless-steel vats in order to develop the aromas specific to the grape and the terroir.