Les Héritiers Saint-Genys (Bourgogne)

Anecdotes about the domain

To be a winemaker is an honor, coupled with quite a stroke of luck when you are not from the seraglio. If one day, someone had asked me if I would like to be a winemaker in Chassagne-Montrachet I would have laughed. Of course I would like it like many other dreams. I never thought it would be possible one day. I think that if you have this chance, you have to do your best to be worthy of it. To have good grapes you have to give a lot to the vine. It knows how to give it back to us. I love wine from all regions, if it is well made, with love and passion. For me, there are no great wines and small wines. Good wine is the one you like. And wine is also, and above all, a story of sharing and conviviality. An aligoté with friends and a good sausage can often be more pleasant than a great wine tasted alone. My earliest memories of wine go back to my summer vacations in Burgundy. There was red wine at the table. I'm not at all sure it was of high quality. But we were allowed a little drop in our water glass. A fresh spring water. This red water was the best drink.

The domain's short story

A former restaurant owner and beef farmer, Patrice du Jeu took over an abandoned 12-hectare estate spread between the Côte Chalonnaise and Côte de Beaune in 2010. "It was a wasteland with grapes and grasses taller than the vines." He then had to uproot, replant, clean, equip himself and especially surround himself with the right people to take advantage of his very varied plots. The vintages resulting from this titanic work have seduced our team as well as several great guides (Hachette, Bettane & Desseauve). Our domain is very eclectic. We are lucky to be able to exploit very different parcels, from the Côte de Beaune from Chassagne to Santenay, to the Côte Chalonnaise, and from the Premier Crus to the Bourgogne Aligoté. This with one major exception, our Mercurey Premier Cru du Clos Marcilly, in monopoly. Each wine is different and has its own specificities due to the varied terroirs in our beautiful region. The rule is that the soil gives us back what we give it. All the work done in the vineyards allows the grape to give us the quintessence of its Climate. The Santenay village on deep clay soils will be rich and silky, the Mercurey Premier Cru white, installed on a very calcareous and rocky ground, will give back more sharp and clear aromas. Each wine is important. We attach the same concern and have the same rigor for each appellation. How does one find oneself a winemaker in Chassagne-Montrachet when one is a restaurant owner in Paris? Sometimes things happen by chance. Of course, you have to love wine and Burgundy. But that is not enough. When one day in 2010, I received a phone call from a friend who asked me: "Chassagne, is it interesting?", I answered "Of course, let's do a tasting?". "No, it's the vineyard" he says. I don't understand, then one thing leads to another and I see that there might be an opportunity to get a near-abandoned estate back on its feet. The work is enormous, but the climates are of quality, and what a chance to join Burgundy. At the beginning of 2011, the step is made. Since then, it has been necessary to uproot, replant, clean, equip and surround himself. In 2013, Jean-Baptiste ALINC, an oenologist by training, joined the estate to support me in this adventure with his knowledge, his know-how and his energy. From year to year, we do our utmost to improve.

The winemaker's pride

After working as a restaurateur, in 2010, it's the big comeback! Patrice decides to take over an abandoned domain between the Côte Chalonnaise and the Côte de Beaune.

Patrice Du Jeu