In the vineyard
As a micro-négociant, Le Grappin doesn’t own any vineyards, however they only source grapes that have been farmed organically. All grapes come from small parcels within single-vineyard plots identified by Nielsen for producing exceptional grapes that defy their appellation.
While producing small boutique cuvées from these special parcels is not cost effective for larger domaines, it was the perfect project for a smaller operation such as Le Grappin.
In the winery
The first winery was a garage in Savigny-lès-Beaune, but more recently Le Grappin moved to larger premises in Beaune. Sorting of the fruit remains one of the most important interventions at the winery.
Once the fruit arrives, Nielsen and his team hand-sort the grapes for over 16 hours. In total one tonne of fruit is sorted by two separate teams: one doing a negative sort (removing leaves and grapes affected by rot) and the other a positive sort (picking out the best clusters). The whole bunches are added to the top of the tank, while the rest of the grapes are de-stemmed.
Nielsen firmly believes that any and every manipulation results in lost complexity, therefore works with a very hands-off approach. They don’t pump over or punch down, there’s no added sulphur (or any other additions – nutrients or sugar for chaptalisation).
The wines are all matured in old oak and hand bottled.