Cult Burgundy Producer Domaine Guilbert Gillet To Acquire Historic Domaine Clos De La Chapelle Just Five Years In

Established in just 2020, Savigny-les-Beaune producer Domaine Guilbert Gillet has quickly gone on to become one of Burgundy's hottest rising stars, making a name for itself with wines that are elegant and terroir-driven, demonstrating a talent for eking out complexity. 

Helmed by Benjamin Guilbert and his wife Caroline, together with their business partner Rene Gillet, the domaine's rise is perhaps most impressive not because of its stringent commitment to organic practices but that it comes on the back of first generation vignerons with no prior presence in the region. Guilbert himself boasts an astonishing resume, having undergone formal oenology studies in Macon, followed by a diploma in Montpellier and a subsequent Master of Science at the International Organisation of Vine and Wine, after which he would go on to practice at some of the world's most lauded wine estates, including Bordeaux's Chateau Haut Brion and Chateau Smith Haut Lafitte, Burgundy's Domaine de Montille, Domaine Guigal and Clos de Lambrays, as well as Alsace's Domaine Zind Humbrecht and Domaine Trimbach, with also Morey-Saint-Denis legend Jacky Truchot serving as his mentor.

Now, just over 5 years in, the Domaine is already ready to make its first big splash with the acquisition of the historic Volnay based Domaine Clos de la Chapelle. Domaine Clos de la Chapelle was established in 1865, first as a walled vineyard in the vicinity of the Gothic Notre Dame de Pitie chapel before subsequently expanding to some 5 hectares over 13 vineyard sites. The original vineyards at the heart of the Domaine was once the property of the local Brotherhood of the Saint Sacrement and the Carmelite Nuns of Beaune, before it was eventually redistributed as a result of the French Revolution. It would be passed down for several generations within the Boillot family before it was eventually sold to a group of investors including Mark O'Connell, an American collector, and Pierre Meurgey and Philippe Remoissenet who belong to the their respective Burgundian estates.

The acquisition is said to allow Domaine Guilbert Gillet to better cater to the strong demand it has experienced since its establishment, with now the ability to focus entirely on domaine wines whilst exiting the negociant trade, whilst altogether giving the Domaine a more substantial size. According to sources including Wolf Of Burgundy, it has been mentioned that vinification will remain at the Domaine's current Savigny-les-Beaune estate. 

With the purchase of Domaine Clos de la Chapelle, Domaine Guilbert Gillet will now possess vineyards in the following crus:

Corton Grand Cru

Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru (0.30 ha)
Corton Bressandes Grand Cru (0.20 ha)

Pernand-Vergelesses

Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Sous Frétille (0.13 ha)

Beaune

Beaune 1er Cru Les Reversées (0.34 ha)
Beaune 1er Cru Champs Pimont (0.63 ha)
Beaune 1er Cru Les Teurons (0.27 ha)

Pommard

Pommard 1er Cru Les Chanlins (0.30 ha)
Pommard 1er Cru Les Grands Epenots (0.23 ha)
Pommard Rue au Port (very old vines) (0.15 ha)

Volnay

Volnay 1er Cru Clos de la Chapelle Monopole (0.56 ha)
Volnay 1er Cru En Carelle (approx 0.25 ha)
Volnay 1er Cru Santenots du Milieu (0.25 ha)
Volnay 1er Cru Taillepieds (0.47 ha)

Meursault

Meursault 1er Cru Charmes (0.125 ha)
Meursault Les Vignes Blanches (0.41 ha)

Kanpai!

88 Bamboo Editorial Team