Nathalie Richez is one of the most humble and dedicated winemakers you will meet in Burgundy. Virtually unknown in the United States until recently, a chance bottle of lunch changed her entire career trajectory. Iconic importer Neal Rosenthal was delighted by a bottle of one of her wines at lunch in Nuts-Saint-Georges, and immediately sought out to meet her and have her join the Rosenthal portfolio, a tremendous honor for any winemaking estate.
Nathalie's wines are testaments to the authentic Burgundy beyond all the pomp and circumstance that now surrounds the blue chip estates and Grand Crus. She did not grow up in wine and instead began her tiny domaine in 2011 by gaining access to parcels near her hometown of Chagny near Saint-Aubin. As a one woman team she makes very little wine and still approaches winemaking as a craft rather than a business. All of her cuvées go through spontaneous fermentation and are matured in low-toast barrels made by a local friend of hers. These are honest and pure Burgundies that reflect the humble but beautiful history of the region before it became a commodity. The Hautes-Côtes de Beane Blanc is full of charm and captures everything we know and love about white Burgundy. At a steak of a price, this is one to stock up on to scratch the white Burgundy itch any day of the week.
"Nathalie is guided by her deep love of Burgundy, and while it must perhaps be tempting for a newcomer to stamp their wines with an abundance of personality, hers are egoless, unassuming, and strikingly transparent." - Rosenthal Wine Merchant
Per importer Rosenthal Wine Merchant: "Nathalie owns a well-situated parcel of Chardonnay in the commune of Saint-Aubin, just outside the appellation delimitation: a 0.37-hectare planting on a west-facing slope abutting Saint-Aubin’s Champ Tirant vineyard. Fermented spontaneously and aged 12 months in barrels three years or more of age, this is a generous, straightforward, well-balanced white Burgundy full of ripe citrus notes and streaked with cleansing minerality."
