Growers / France / Burgundy / Mâconnais / Domaine Thévenet & Fils

Domaine Thévenet & Fils

Chardonnay is the dominant grape and Gamay and Pinot Noir produce the red wines of the estate.


We began working with Jean-Claude Thévenet in 1982. At that point, having taken responsibility for this family domaine in 1971 from his father, Raymond, when their holdings were a mere three (3) hectares, Jean-Claude was in the process of building the domaine to its current size of thirty (30) hectares with vineyards centered on their village of Pierreclos at the heart of the Maconnais. In addition to working their own vineyards, the Thévenet family, for three generations, has also conducted a successful nursery business producing fine quality grape vines for many family-owned domaines in Burgundy and also in the Champagne district.

textured background of dirt

Over the thirty years of our commercial relationship, Jean-Claude and his wife, Helene, and now his three sons (Benjamin, Jonathan and Aurélien), have performed at a remarkable, and consistently high, level producing wines of honesty and purity and fine value. This is the kind of relationship at the core of our business: one that functions seamlessly through good times and difficult moments and turns into friendship as well. So, we lost a treasured companion when Jean-Claude passed away in 2008 at the too-young age of 54; but, we are comforted by the presence of his three talented and dedicated progeny, all functioning under the rigorous supervision of their mother, Helene.

The vineyard holdings now extend throughout Pierreclos and into the neighboring villages of Serrieres, Prissé, Bussieres and Milly-Lamartine. Chardonnay is the dominant grape and Gamay and Pinot Noir produce the red wines of the estate.

Farming

Lutte Raisonnée

Treatments

Synthetic treatments when necessary

Ploughing

Annual ploughing to promote soil health

Soils

Limestone-clay

Vines

Vines are trained in Guyot and planted at 8,000 vines/ha. Average vine age is 40 years

Yields

Controlled with winter pruning, debudding, and an occasional green harvest. Average yields are 65 hl/ha

Harvest

Mostly mechanical, with some hand harvesting, usually in late September

PURCHASING

Entirely estate fruit

Fermentation

Following total destemming for red wines and partial destemming for whites, wines ferment spontaneously in concrete vats. Cuvaison lasts 2-4 weeks

Extraction

Rack-and-return method employed during fermentation; whites see bâtonnage only to counter reduction

Chaptalization

Chaptalization when necessary

Pressing

Pneumatic pressing

Malolactic Fermentation

Spontaneous, following alcoholic fermentation

Élevage

Wines age for 6-10 months in concrete vats

LEeS

Wines are racked after alcoholic and malolactic fermentation but remain on their fine lees until assemblage prior to bottling

FINING & FILTRATION

Wines are unfined and plate filtered

SULFUR

Applied at harvest and at bottling, 25-30 mg/l free

Farming

Lutte Raisonnée

Treatments

Synthetic treatments when necessary

Ploughing

Annual ploughing to promote soil health

Soils

Limestone-clay

Vines

Vines are trained in Guyot and planted at 8,000 vines/ha. Average vine age is 40 years

Yields

Controlled with winter pruning, debudding, and an occasional green harvest. Average yields are 65 hl/ha

Harvest

Mostly mechanical, with some hand harvesting, usually in late September

PURCHASING

Entirely estate fruit

Fermentation

Following total destemming for red wines and partial destemming for whites, wines ferment spontaneously in concrete vats. Cuvaison lasts 2-4 weeks

Extraction

Rack-and-return method employed during fermentation; whites see bâtonnage only to counter reduction

Chaptalization

Chaptalization when necessary

Pressing

Pneumatic pressing

Malolactic Fermentation

Spontaneous, following alcoholic fermentation

Élevage

Wines age for 6-10 months in concrete vats

Lees

Wines are racked after alcoholic and malolactic fermentation but remain on their fine lees until assemblage prior to bottling

Fining & Filtration

Wines are unfined and plate filtered

Sulfur

Applied at harvest and at bottling, 25-30 mg/l free

Growers