Ghislaine Barthod

The Domaine Barthod-Noellat was founded when Gaston Barthod, whose family originated in the Jura, married into the Noellat family. He took over the direction of the Domaine after finishing his military service in the 1950s. Then in the 1980s his daughter, Ghislaine, served her apprenticeship under him and by the early nineties was making the wine. Ghislaine has made this a benchmark for Chambolle growers and lovers alike. Terroir and grape variety are respected in the winemaking process, vineyard work is hard, intervention minimal and new oak kept to an average of 30%. The ethos here is to pick ripe but on the early side, to retain the birghtness of Pinot Noir. Grapes are de-stalked for fermentation. Her outstanding plots of old vines in Les Fuées and Les Charmes produce wines that typify the elegance and sophistication of Chambolle. The Véroilles however is possibly the more interesting cuvée, if less renowned. It is one of the highest Chambolle vineyards and is situated next to Bonnes Mares and duly reflects the style of its Grand Cru neighbour. Here, charm is aligned to a vibrant acidity and grainy tannins giving a firm grip and sound framework to its ripe fruit.

2017 Vintage

Apart from being happier about the quantity (there is two thirds more wine in 2017 than in 2016, making it a “normal crop”) she is very happy with the quality of the wines, particularly their radiance. Picking began relatively early on the 4th September and Ghislaine is very glad to have made this decision, enjoying the touch of freshness and sapidity in the wines that “you don’t normally get with other early vintages like 2007” adding “these are crunchy, lively wines that are going to give lots of pleasure.” Picked on the fresher side of ripe and aged in no more than 30% new oak, these are classically Barthod - pure, vital, translucent and brimful of terroir character.

2018 Vintage

Ghislaine Barthod and Louis Boillot’s son, Clement, has taken the winemaking reins at this estate as of 2018. Don’t expect any change in style, as Ghislaine herself puts it “he has followed the same line as always. We look for acidity in the wine.” They began picking on the 26th August, when grapes registered between 12.6 and 12.8 degrees of potential alcohol, with the vintage culminating on the 5th September. After fermentation the wine spent 30 days on the skins (10 days longer than usual) the idea being a more protracted but more gentle extraction would better suit the powerful 2018's. These are sapid, saline examples of 2018 - full of savoury minerality, the stoniest vineyards such as Cras and Fuées offering a darker fruit profile than usual, whilst those with more clay, such as Charmes, Veroilles and Combottes yielding a juicy, plumptuous character and refreshing mix of red and dark berry fruit

2019 Vintage

A vintage tailor-made for the Barthod style, which favours brightness and purity in its Pinots. Clement and Ghislaine began picking on the 10th September, with alcohols ranging from 13.5 to 13.8 – modest in the context of the vintage. Ghislaine is delighted with the wines hailing them as “classic“ and not “solar.” Yields are very low, unfortunately, but the wines are impressive with noble suave tannic textures and bright, clear terroir identities.

2020 Vintage

These warmer, earlier vintages suit the Barthod style very well, where the goal is to pick on freshness rather than sugar or full phenolic ripeness. The harvest started on the 20th August and was finished by the 29th, early even by general 2020 standards. It was a small year because of drought, similar in size to the diminutive 2019 crop. Ghislaine considers it a “vintage of richness, but at the same time it is sensual and charming. There is a concentration that gives you this refreshing, savoury, salty extract.” These are intense wines without being caricatures; they are fleshy, velvety and balanced with excellent freshness of fruit and acidity.

2021 Vintage

2021 is, bar the tiny yields, an unmitigated success at Barthod. The entire range is imbued with such grace, energy and vibrancy that we left wondering if this wasn’t one of the very finest vintages we’ve tasted here. Offering up classically Barthod traits of elegance and precision, the wines were given slightly less time on the skins than normal, and raised with no new oak whatsoever. “The thing is” Ghislaine explained, “Pinot Noir loves to struggle. We’ve come back to a vintage that is more Classique for Pinot”. Right the way up the range, the sense of harmony, and luminous fruit is utterly captivating in 2021.

2022 Vintage

Ghislaine couldn’t quite remember if it was the 27th or 28th that they started harvest in Chambolle, not that it really matters, though she did point out that contrary to the past, they now find the ‘usual’ harvesting order no longer applies. A full two weeks were spent picking in 2022. “The first impression is that we are surprised by the freshness in 2022. The rains helped, as did the volumes. It’s a very seductive vintage, with great balance” Ghislaine beamed, continuing “maybe we can compare it to 2012, with this sensual character, though our 2012s were more closed at this point”. Regardless of comparisons, we found plenty to love here - crystalline ripeness, great vineyard definition, plenty of Chambolle lift and charm and beautifully supple, rewarding textures.

2023 Vintage

Ghislaine Barthod was all smiles when she greeted us at her Chambolle domaine in November. This is her 40th vintage at the domaine, and though she has now fully handed over to her son Clement, she’s still on hand during harvest and very much an experienced point of view in the cellar. “A consultant yes” she laughed, “but a free one!”. Harvest began here on the 9th September and lasted for ten days, with potential alcohols in the 12 13.5% range. As usual, everything was destemmed. A very severe green harvest in July and August saw the Barthod team drop 30-40% of the harvest, and yet still their yields averaged around 42hl/ha. In the cellar very little new oak is employed, and increasingly it is of 500 & 1500-lt gauge. The resulting range shows off all the typical Barthod purity and luminosity fans admire. With great vineyard definition, supple tannic frameworks and what Ghislaine aptly described as a “mouthwatering” quality, there’s lots to love here.