About Domaine Jean-Michel Gaunoux

Meursault is hallowed ground for Chardonnay, a paradise for Burgundy collectors, and home to Domaine Jean-Michel. It is here that Jean-Michel’s son, winemaker Henri Gaunoux, makes elegant, mineral whites from Premier Cru Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet vineyards, plus regal Pinot Noir from plots in Volnay and Pommard.

The Gaunoux family’s winemaking history stretches back to 1875, when Alexandre Gaunoux settled in the Côte de Beaune. Gaunoux’s son, Henri, skyrocketed the estate’s reputation for quality and expanded its roster of vineyards. After Henri passed away in 1972, his two sons, Michel and Francois, divided up the vineyard parcels, creating Domaine Michel Gaunoux in Pommard and Domaine François Gaunoux in Meursault. Jean-Michel Gaunoux worked with his father, Francois, at Domaine François Gaunoux for several years, but after acquiring vineyard parcels from his mother’s family in 1990, he ventured out on his own to start Domaine Jean-Michel Gaunoux.

Jean-Michel’s vineyards include small parcels across the Côte d’Or—most notably his Premier Cru Meursault holdings. The vineyards are all treated with the utmost care; he practices lutte raisonnée—the “reasoned struggle” –by which he avoids the use of pesticides in the soil, and utilizes green harvesting for low yields. In the cellar, Henri uses traditional methods and a light touch, using a modest amount of new oak and neither filtering nor fining his wines.

The wines of Domaine Jean-Michel Gaunoux show the balance, purity, and age-worthiness that have long earned the Côte d’Or praise.