Moillard

Moillard - Family history in Burgundy

Domaine Moillard is a winery located in the commune of Nuits-Saint-Georges in Burgundy. It produces wines in the appellation of the same name, as well as the Côte de Beaune.

The Moillard family's history as wine growers goes back a long time, but the era of the great House of Moillard began in 1850, when Symphorien Moillard started trading in wine. The then-new railroad brought him his first, high-profile customers, so the business began to grow. Symphorien's daughter married into the Thomas family of winemakers, so the vineyards of the house increased abruptly. This was followed by an enlargement of the winery and the construction of a cellar with a capacity of 1000 barrique barrels. Thus, the house quickly rose to become one of the most important producers in Burgundy. The First World War severely dampened the company's growth, as many stocks were lost in Belgium, but it was able to bounce back in the following years, so that in the 1930s it had enough resources to survive the economic crisis and even help out other winemakers. Because of this activity, Moillard also became known as the "Banker of Burgundy" during this period.

The Second World War was again accompanied by losses of stocks, nevertheless in 1940 they built a new barrel cellar, which this time even holds 1500 barrels and is located opposite the old cellar. After the war, they began to adapt to the modern wine world, so Moillard positioned itself in retail or even with the sub-brand Moillard-Grivot in fine gastronomy. Finally, in 2016, wine wholesaler Les Grands Chais de France acquired the company.

The terroir of the Moillard vineyards

Moillard's vineyards, as mentioned above, are located in two major wine regions of Burgundy:

• Côte de Nuits
• Côte de Beaune

The Côte de Nuits is probably the most famous sub-region in Burgundy, which has been known for its red wines since the Middle Ages. It begins in the village of Nuits-Saint-Georges and stretches for 20 km to Dijon. Of Burgundy's 34 Grand Cru sites, 22 alone are located in the Côte de Nuits, such as Clos de Vougeot. The soils of the region are mainly clay and limestone, and the vineyards are south/southeast facing. In addition, there are different microclimates of individual vineyards, which in turn further characterize the wine.

The Côte de Beaune is located around the city of Beaune, south of the Côte de Nuits. In the far south, after the vineyard Les Maranges, the Côte Chalonnaise follows. The region is mainly known for its white wines such as Corton-Charlemagne, Montrachet or Meursault, but the red wines have also always belonged to the upper class. The majority of the vineyards are found south of Beaune. The climate is semi-continental, the terroir is characterized by calcareous soils and red sediments.

Vinification of Moillard wines

The wines of Moillard are vinified according to the best Burgundy tradition. Starting with the careful, plot-based care and processing of the vines, to the careful aging in small wooden barrels. For the red wines, fermentation takes place in small vats, and the transport of the grapes to these vats takes place without pumping. After several days of maceration and subsequent fermentation, the mash is transferred by gravity to the barrels for aging. More than 1000 barrels are located in the vaulted cellars of the winery for this purpose. Maturation takes place over a period of 14 to 20 months. For the white wines, fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks or also in oak barrels. Moillard wines, typical of the region, can be stored very well and continue to develop well even after bottling. The oenologist Baptiste Corrot is responsible for the winemaking.