FRANÇOIS CARILLON

François Carillon

The winemaking legacy of the Carillon family dates back in Puligny-Montrachet to the 16th century, with a Carillon as a vigneron being first recorded in 1520. As mentioned on the label, the current logo was found on an engraved stone dated 1611 in a village cave.

A fantastic heritage that François Carillon, 15th generation, carries on with talent and success. He joined the family estate in 1988, forming the Domaine "Louis Carillon" alongside his father, Louis and his brother Jacques. Francois took responsibility for the vineyard farming. Domaine Louis Carillon has been one of Puligny-Montrachet's most consistently successful domains over three decades.

Having a real talent in the cellar as well, François decided to run his own Domaine starting from vintage 2010, the family holdings being then equally split between François and Jacques.

Having a real talent in the cellar as well, François decided to run his own Domaine starting from vintage 2010, the family holdings being then equally split between François and Jacques.

Taking the highest care of his vineyard, François believes passionately that the quality of the final wine is determined in the vineyard. The vines are ploughed by horse or tractor without using any herbicide. The estate's team leads all the tasks at the vineyard, including the compost production. Starting with 6.5 ha, the estate is now reaching 16 ha, a tremendous step up that proves the success and the quality of the wines produced.

The vineyard is mainly located in Puligny-Montrachet (10 ha over the 16) on some of the best villages (Enseignères…) and 1ers Crus plots (Combettes, Folatières, Champ Gain…) of the village, completed by qualitative ones in Saint-Aubin (Murgers Dent de Chien) and Chassagne-Montrachet (Clos St Jean, Macherelles).

At the cellar, François has dramatically reduced the intervention and the inputs. All the harvest is manual, and the grapes are picked early morning to avoid warm temperatures. The pressuring is as soft as possible to extract the best components of the skin and naturally settle the juice. The ageing is traditional, around 12 months in French oak barrels (François Frères), with a low percentage of new oak (around 10%). Even though 90% of the estate is white, François dedicates the same care to his red wines, destemming each grape to deliver a juicy, vibrant, elegant red fruit profile.

The quality achieved on each vintage is so remarkable and consistent that each cuvée, from the generic Bourgogne to the 1ers Crus, perfectly translates the terroir between a mineral finesse and a vibrant basket of orchard fruits, underlined by a subtle touch of lees reduction.

The wines François makes are all based around a deep understanding of each vineyard, and while the generous and gorgeous style makes them enjoyable early on, they are certainly built for the long term.