Domaine Gruhier

Dominique Gruhier has had an unbelievably tough ride to get where he is today; two vintages wiped out, an arson attack and a collapsed cellar to mention a few of the hurdles. However, you would never know it to meet the man - he is so warm, charming and resilient. Knowing more of his story can’t help but make you love his already beautifully juicy, saline wines that are produced in the northern reaches of Burgundy, in Epineuil.

Dominique found his passion for wine through a friend at university while he was studying mechanical engineering. It was enough to make him drop out and re-enroll at the Lycee Viticole. Following his degree and during his compulsory military service, he met another friend who would go on to have a long-lived impact on him. The friend was a winemaker from the southern Rhone whose father had some vines in Epineuil. He and his girlfriend used to travel up and work the vines, but became fatigued by the distance and the intense drop in temperature, so decided to put the land on the market. As such, Dominique purchased the land in 1990 and Domaine Gruhier was born.

We are not going to go into the details of the trials and tribulations that followed, but more importantly, focus on his viticultural practices; from 2003, he began farming his Côte de Grisey organically and from 2010, the whole domaine - 31 hectares - began its organic certification process. He also built a conservatory to preserve the genetic diversity of his vines through massales selections. He has a notable selection of Pinot clones which are loose, easily aerated and showcase a resistance to rot.

Dominque’s style has definitely evolved over the years, but with encouragement and guidance from people like Philippe Pacalet, he began making his wines in a more natural way. The terroir of Epineuil is so clear in his wines. Just 10 minutes northeast of Chablis, the soils here are entirely made of Kimmeridgian limestone. In the cave, Dominique works with whole clusters, gentle extraction and low-sulphur additions.