| Region of production: | Côte de Beaune |
| Winery Location: | Chassagne-Montrachet |
| Year Established: | N/A |
Vineyard Holdings
7 ha
- Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru: 0.12 ha Chardonnay, mostly planted in 1927
- Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru: 0.23 ha Chardonnay, planted in 1962
- Chassagne-Montrachet Les Champs Gain Premier Cru: 0.44 ha Chardonnay, planted in 1988
- Chassagne-Montrachet Les Chaumées Premier Cru: 0.54 ha Chardonnay, planted in 1930
- Chassagne-Montrachet Les Vergers Premier Cru: 0.39 ha Chardonnay, planted in 2001
- Chassagne-Montrachet Clos Saint-Jean Premier Cru: 0.52 ha Chardonnay, planted in 1990; 0.19 ha Pinot Noir, planted in 1971
- Chassagne-Montrachet La Maltroie Premier Cru: 0.66 ha Chardonnay, planted in 1977; 0.42 ha Pinot Noir, planted in 1970
Top Wines Produced
- Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
- Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru
- Chassagne-Montrachet Les Champs Gain Premier Cru
- Chassagne-Montrachet Les Chaumées Premier Cru
- Chassagne-Montrachet Les Vergers Premier Cru
- Chassagne-Montrachet Clos Saint-Jean Premier Cru (white and red)
- Chassagne-Montrachet La Maltroie Premier Cru (white and red)
Average Total Production
- N/A
Summary
Michel Niellon joined his father, Marcel, in 1957, and he has been making some of the top wines in Chassagne-Montrachet ever since. His son-in-law, Michel Coutoux, joined the domaine in 1991, and along with grandson Mathieu Bresson, heads the domaine. In 1997 they obtained a négociant license in order to increase production slightly, leading to a move out of their small cellars in the middle of the village to a more spacious cellar next to Jean-Marc Pillot’s in 2009. Niellon achieves a balance of rich, plump fruit with elevated acidity by sourcing from older vines that are severely pruned and de-budded, with a green harvest performed to further limit yields, but remains one of the first to pick in the village.
Style & Vinification Techniques
Niellon wines are rich and lush, even in vintages with higher acidities. The white grapes are whole-cluster pressed and only briefly settled to remove the heaviest lees. The village-level wines and La Maltroie Premier Cru are vinified in one-third stainless steel, while the rest of the whites are vinified entirely in oak (15-30% new). The wines are stirred in barrel once a week until malolactic is complete, then bottled after 12 months. They are generally fined and filtered prior to bottling, and the amount of sulfur at bottling has been increased to 45 mg/l due to concerns over premature oxidation.
Producer Website: N/A