The Best Burgundy Winemakers: Spotlight on Julien Cruchandeau

Meet One Of The Best Burgundy Winemakers, Julien Cruchandeau

BurgundyWine.com exists for a simple reason. To bring you the best Burgundy winemakers' wines, from some of the finest small appellations in the world. These are not the big ­name, big­ price producers and wines you find on almost all other websites, and we don’t do mass­ market selling. We focus on quality over quantity, and we specialize in bringing these wines to our friends in the USA. Some of the wines we sell have never been sold in the States before, so we like breaking new ground when it comes to winemakers and these wines...

In this series of “Spotlight On” articles, we take a deep ­dive look at the life and work of our best Burgundy winemakers. How did they get started? What is their philosophy on life, and more importantly, on wine? What methods do they use in their viticulture – where and how do they grow their vines, what happens when they’re harvested and in the vat room? Do they age them, and what can you expect when you’re drinking them? So many variables, so many stories – and from so many fine BurgundyWine.com producers.

Not all winemakers that appear on the wine shop at BurgundyWine.com by Elden Selections are from established winemaking families. Some find the vines in their own way, (or perhaps it is the vines that find them…). One such winemaker for whom this is true is Julien Cruchandeau – an Aligoté specialist, and one of our best Burgundy winemakers.

His background is in hospitality, in both France and England, from where he took a course in oenology and viticulture in Beaune – the spiritual and physical capital of the Burgundy wine region. After work experience in Gevrey­-Chambertin (why not start near the top?!) he became estate manager at a Domaine in Bouzeron. But he really came into his own in 2003 when he established his own estate, with his own vines, pumps, vats – and his star was born. It has been rising steadily ever since. In 2009 he moved his HQ from Bouzeron to Chaux, a small village up behind Nuits St George. He then decided to champion another underdog — the appellation known as the Hautes Côtes de Nuits.

Aligoté or Chablis? Burgundy’s Hidden Gem Wines

Julien Cruchandeau is a champion of the ‘lesser appellation’ of Aligoté – for him it’s a mark of honour. He planted old vines which are called ‘massale’, which tells us they were made from old vineyard wood. They're also a type that one of the greatest winemakers who ever lived became famous for – the great Aubert de Villaine, and Julien’s vines are from his hallowed vineyard. His Bouzeron Massale is deep and rich, with notes of cinnamon and honey and a pure, mineral finish. And it’s one of our ‘hidden gem’ wines – ones that you could easily mistake for a more expensive bigger ­name appellation. In this case, you'd be forgiven for thinking this was a Chablis Premier Cru! Yet because it’s Bouzeron, it attracts more reasonable prices than those of its more northerly cousins. That's how the best Burgundy winemakers set themselves apart from the rest ­ making something so unknown taste like something so renowned. Many folks don’t know about these Bouzeron wines, so get them while they still luxuriate in relative obscurity – when they become widely known they’ll be famous...

Julien treats his wines in accordance with a term that you may not have come across -­ la lutte Raisonnée. Various translations of this term can be found, from ‘measured control’ to a ‘reasoned fight / struggle’ or ‘supervised control’. However you translate it, its meaning is a kind of middle ground, where the winemaker may not intend to become fully organically or biodynamically certified, but wants to use certain chemicals to protect and encourage their vines in a reasonable and minimal way, to respect nature. Harvesting is done entirely by hand, and his wines are made as naturally as possible. They are vinified and matured in traditional oak barrels and vats, and strictly temperature controlled. This maturation can last anywhere from 8 to 18 months.

He currently produces 9 appellations, and we offer some of the best in our wine shop. For example, his Aligoté 'Le Village' (from vines which are more than half a century old, in the hills above Nuits St Georges) is spicy and fresh, with acidity like green apples. Bright, crisp almost crunchy fruit and a real lingering floral finish carried by the limestone minerality. This is truly a little ­known but much ­loved wine.

For anyone who wonders what his red wines might be like amongst all this white – you have only to look as far as his Hautes Cotes de Nuits 'Valencons'. This single ­vineyard wine’s grapes were grown on a steep slope with very little limestone, and predominantly clay soil. 10% new wood is used in the barrels, and another 10% of older barrels. Fresh, soft black cherry fruit, earthy and mineral, the result of some whole cluster maceration ­ chocolatey, with great volume.

Hidden Passions in Burgundy Wine and Music

But Julien is not only one of the best Burgundy winemakers with an interest in lesser­ known grapes; he also hides another passion – for electronic music. A keen drummer and pianist, he toured not only France but all around Europe in the early 2000’s, even creating his own record label.

But passions take time and money and energy – and since 2010 there has been room for only one of these all­ consuming pursuits, and that has been wine.

Allow us to be your hosts when you discover Burgundy Winemaker Julien Cruchandeau’s wines on location.

Did you know you can stay with us at our baronial manor house in Burgundy? If not, then you can discover more about Domaine de Cromey ­ our idyllic home amongst the vines -­ here. We have a newly ­restored tasting room where you can sample Julien’s wines and those of our other best Burgundy winemakers, and even take part in tastings with the makers themselves. You’ll have all our facilities at your disposal, from the salon, ensuite accommodation, kitchens with cooking classes, and gardens and pool outside. We can’t wait to welcome you here!

We have plenty more articles exploring the fascinating world of Burgundy wine, like this one on the fearless Dukes of Burgundy. Don’t forget our Burgundy Wine Club, open for membership now. And our luxurious manor house, Domaine de Cromey, is waiting to welcome you into the heart of Burgundy for the trip of a lifetime!