Berries to Barrels: A Month in the Trenches at Domaine Follin-Arbelet

Burgundy 2024 Harvest and Winemaking Journal

Bienvenue to my Harvest and Winemaking Journal! For the next month, I’ll be rolling up my sleeves and getting knee-deep in grapes at Domaine Follin-Arbelet in Aloxe-Corton, Burgundy. This isn’t just about picking pretty berries and crushing them into juice – it’s a full-on journey into the nitty-gritty of winemaking. From back-breaking days in the vineyard to late-night debates in the cellar, we’re pulling back the curtain on what really goes into crafting those bottles of Burgundian magic.

So, buckle up and grab a glass (or two), because this is going to be one captivating month in Burgundy, filled with people, passion, punch-downs and plenty of Pinot!

Why Domaine Follin-Arbelet?

Because they do some of the best Romanée Saint-Vivant ? Because their Corton-Charlemagne was dancing on my tongue last Christmas? Or simply because of the sincerity, modesty, and kindness of Simon and Franck..?

Simon, at 36, of average height, with a tousled mane of blonde hair that looks like organised chaos, impresses with his genuine charm. His authenticity, desire to do things well, attentiveness to people, and deep love for nature are immediately apparent.

I instantly liked him when I first met him in December 2023. We tasted his 2022 wines in his cellar; he was wearing one of his signature Canadian ice hockey jerseys – not the usual winemaker attire! I clipped a small mic to him for recording, which he agreed to, even though it stressed him out more than anything else. His father Franck was by his side, discreet and neutral without coming off as unfriendly – I even managed to coax a subtle smile out of him by the end of the tasting.

What to Expect from the Harvest?

Last week, I had dinner with Simon at a cheeky Japanese restaurant (IIda-Ya) in my home town in the Jura, Dole. Since Simon lived in Japan for a year, I figured a little Japanese cuisine would be a trip down memory lane for him… It was a warm, end-of-summer evening. Hot-air balloons drifted effortlessly in the sky, and noisy teenagers buzzed by on motorbikes. The dinner was filled with light and crispy tempura, slow-cooked confit de poitrine de porc and fresh mochi, all paired with a Savagnin ouillé from Domaine Thomas Jacquin Fromenteau 2020. Simon described it as “nature” and “good,” a marked improvement on the adjectives used by Noé Tesseron when I subjected him to an orange wine from Alsace at 2 am at Juice in Singapore! Amidst all this, Simon tried to explain the intensity of this period.

• The personal intensity for him, as the first one up and the last one to bed.
• The physical intensity for everyone involved.
• The human intensity of the bonds formed during this week. Our team this year will consist of a bit more than 25 people, half of whom are aunts, distant family cousins, while the rest are friends of friends. Simon warns that there will be many small events and stories, and that after these seven days, some people often stay a few days longer to digest the whirlwind of the harvest!

In short, I can’t wait to dive into this new adventure and not miss a single moment!

I’ll also take this opportunity to visit other winemakers we collaborate with, such as Dujac, Thibault Liger-Belair, Jean-Michel Chartron, JM Gaunoux, Domaine de la Folie, Drouhin-Laroze and more.

This mini-reportage will be accompanied by photos and videos that you can find on our Instagram page and enriched with illustrations by the talented Pops Tawen.

I hope you enjoy it. See you in a few days for the first episode!

Bises
Manon