Domaine Borgnat

What you will see

The free Trio tasting takes about 15 minutes, with three wines chosen from the range, among them Bourgogne Aligoté, Coulanges Chardonnay, Coulanges Tradition, the Tête de Cuvée, Château d'Escolives, crémant and ratafia. The booked Symphonie visit, about an hour, leads down into cellars built one above the other in the 17th century and ends with a tasting of the whole range. The domaine also offers self-guided walks in its vines, guided e-bike rides with a local partner and electric scooter hire.

History

The Borgnat family farms vines on a terroir where, the domaine likes to say, wine has been made for 2,000 years. Escolives was a Gallo-Roman villa on the Via Agrippa, and sculpted blocks found on the archaeological site show grape-harvest scenes from Roman times. The domaine's red Château d'Escolives, a blend of Pinot Noir and the old local grape César aged in oak, is meant as a nod to that long history.

Alongside Aligoté, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, the domaine grows rarer varieties such as César and Pinot Gris. Since 2000 it has kept natural grass between the rows to protect the soil and encourage biodiversity, and it decides the harvest date plot by plot by tasting the grapes. The family also runs guest rooms and a gîte, with meals at the domaine and a heated pool from mid-May to mid-October.