Domaine Blain Soeur et Frere
Brand Description
Domaine Blain was founded in 2014 when siblings Lucie and Marc-Antonin Blain acquired 14 acres of vineyards planted with old vines on the slopes of Mont Brouilly in Beaujolais. Marc-Antonin and Lucie grew up in their family domaine, Domaine Blain-Gagnard, in Chassagne-Montrachet. After completing his oenological studies and gaining experience in Australia, Marc-Antonin made a vintage of Beaujolais in Fleurie which became the catalyst for purchasing land there. Marc-Antonin maintains the vineyards in Brouily and Côte de Brouilly, while Lucie handles the communications, marketing, and daily operations of the business. The wines are vinified in Chassagne-Montrachet.
Location of Vineyard
The Beaujolais wine region stretches 55 kilometers from south of Mâcon to the flatter lands northwest of Lyon. All ten of Beaujolais’ crus sit clustered together in the northern sector of the region where the bedrock is the same schist and sandy granite found 100 kilometers south in Côte-Rôtie. Marc-Antonin and Lucie Blain own vineyards in the southernmost crus of Brouilly and Côte de Brouilly. Brouilly is the largest cru covering 20% of the Beaujolais area, while the Côte de Brouilly is a much smaller, volcanic slope known for giving structured wines. Vines are trained in the traditional Gobelet and average vine age is over 50 years old. Three different cuvées are produced based on soil and elevation: Brouilly, Côte de Brouilly Pierre Bleue, and Côte de Brouilly Les Jumeaux.
Winemaking and Viticulture Philosophy
Grapes are hand-harvested and are brought to the winery in Chassagne-Montrachet by refrigerated trucks. Vinification is semi-carbonic in closed tanks with a combination of 30 to 40 percent whole bunches with the remainder destemmed. All fermentations occur with native yeasts and the wines age in a combination of wood, concrete, and stainless steel. Aging is governed by the vintage with some years aged eight months in 52-hectoliter wood tanks and other vintages aged for 12 months in stainless steel. Marc-Antonin is experimenting with various sized oak barrels and tanks. Some are the traditional 228-liter Burgundian pièce while some wooden casks are between 350 and 450-liters.
Winery Profile
Winemaker: Marc-Antonin Blain
Total acreage under vine: 14
Founded: 2014
Acclaim
— acclaim for 2017 Domaine Blain Côte de Brouilly Pierre Bleue from Wine Advocate, Dec 2019
— acclaim for 2016 Domaine Blain Côte de Brouilly Pierre Bleue from Josh Raynolds, Mar 2018
— acclaim for 2017 Domaine Blain Côte de Brouilly Les Jumeaux from Wine Advocate, Sep 2019
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