David Duband | FINE+RARE

About the producer

Domaine David Duband is based in the village of Chevannes, in the heart of the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits to the west of Nuits-Saint-Georges.

The domaine produces wines from 23 prestigious appellations, from Nuits-Saint-Georges to Gevrey-Chambertin.

When David Duband took over the family domaine in 1991, all the wine was sold to négociants. At the time, the estate had 20 hectares under vine: the majority (15 hectares) were situated close to the winery on the hills of the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits, with the remaining five hectares in Nuits-Saint-Georges. In 1991 David Duband produced the estate’s first domaine wines from Nuits-Saint-Georges, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Premier Crus, Aux Thorey and Les Procès.

During his time managing the estate Duband has been fortunate enough to expand the domaine’s holdings in the Côte de Nuits, acquiring some of the most enviable sites. He managed to buy vineyards from the legendary Jacky Truchot, plots that are considered by many Burgundy aficionados to be some of the finest sold in the Côte d'Or's modern era. Today he produces five Grand Cru cuvées (including Chambertin and Latricières-Chambertin) and seven Premiers Crus.

Impressively the wines of Domaine Duband are present in 16 of the 25 restaurants with three Michelin stars in France.

In the vineyard

Since 1998 David Duband stopped using chemical weedkillers in the vineyards. In 2006 the estate chose to convert entirely to organic agriculture. The domaine today farms all 17 hectares of vines organically, certified by Ecocert. It also buys in grapes from other neighbouring estates that follow organic farming principles.

David Duband is a strong advocate of returning to the traditional farming techniques used prior to the 1960s and the introduction of chemical fertilisers and insecticides. He has extensively researched the historic methods and today uses natural or planted cover crops to fight against erosion, improving the structure of the soil by promoting the activity of microorganisms in the soil. Yields are kept low with strict pruning throughout the growing season. All grapes are hand-harvested.

In the winery

Grapes are picked by hand and crushed only by foot. Since 2008 David Duband has incorporated a high proportion of whole clusters during fermentation. He now admits that, over the 30 vintages since he started, his style has changed a lot. David concedes it was hard at first not to be swayed by the fashions of the time: cold maceration, high levels of extraction and an unfettered use of new oak were all the rage in Burgundy during the 1990s. These days he has an unwavering belief in what he feels is the “best” approach to making red Burgundy; the result of a personal epiphany after tasting a selection of older Dujac and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, two producers that incorporate a high portion of whole-bunch in their ferments.

David varies the quantity of whole-bunch he adds to the blend depending on the appellation, being careful to balance the fruit intensity on the palate. For his Côte de Nuits cuvées he uses 50% whole-bunch, 60% for his Premiers Crus and 90% for his Grands Crus. His Côte de Nuits and village wines are well-integrated after just two years in bottle, while the higher concentration of fruit and whole-bunch flavour in his Grands Crus mean they are best approached after around eight years. The wines of the estate are aged in oak barrels, 30% of which are renewed each year.

About the producer