Domaine de la Folie Rully Blanc 1er Cru ‘Clos St Jacques’ Monopole 2022

Why is this Wine so Yummy?

Terroir: Clay-limestone
Exposure: East
Area: Monopoly of 1.69 ha
Average age of the vines: 80/90 years
Vineyard Work: Soil work, sustainable cultivation and manual harvests in small crates
Vinification – Aging: Low pressure pressing, meticulous settling, vinification without SO2 and aging in barrels (20% new barrels)
Conservation: 10 years depending on conditions and vintage
Tasting: between 12 and 14°C

About Domaine de la Folie

Clemence Dubrulle and her husband Baptiste are the fifth generation to manage the domaine, taking over from Clemence’s parents in 2010.

Unlike most Burgundian estates with vineyard holdings dotted across various appellations, Domaine de la Folie is unusual in that their 13 hectares of vines more or less surround the family house (which might easily be mistaken for a chateau thanks to its commanding position atop a hill overlooking the Saone). Even more unusually, half of its vineyards are monopoles. In the context of Burgundy, not sharing vineyards with other producers is extremely rare, but having three monopoles is almost unheard of.

“I begin to repeat myself, but Domaine de la Folie’s quiet renaissance continues, as subtle evolutions in red and white winemaking and increasing care in the vineyards make their effect felt more and more with every passing vintage.”

William Kelley, The Wine Advocate

These are splendid, intermittently brilliant wines that punch well above their weight. Classically styled, their whites seem to emit a bit of sunshine, even on an overcast October afternoon.”

Neal Martin, Vinous.com

In the Vineyard

Domaine de la Folie’s vineyards are the highest in elevation and it is the northernmost in the AC… significant because it sits on the same vein of limestone as the commune of Chassagne-Montrachet, just over five kilometres away…

Since the mid 1990s, the domaine has followed organic principles in its farming practices, ploughing rather than spraying herbicides and forgoing the use of chemical fertilisers.

Over the last few years, modifications in the architecture of pruning, the cultivation of cover crops and the timing of any spray treatments have all been enacted to improve the vineyards’ resistance to the ever-present Burgundian threats of frost and mildew. “Work in the vineyard is, and always has been, the most important thing”, says Clemence.

In the Winery

The 2022 Vintage at Domaine de la Folie

“It was a sunny vintage. It was much easier to work than 2021,” Clémence Dubrulle explains as the living room fills with the sound of drilling their new tasting room in the adjoining room. It’s bordering on deafening. Her husband Baptiste rolls his eyes when he joins us, but what can you do? “The summer was very dry and warm, and there was no stress apart from in a very tiny proportion of younger vines. We had 50mm from May 20 to June 10. There was some blockage in August when temperatures exceeded 30° Celsius, but that meant that the alcohol potential was lowered, notwithstanding some vineyards are orientated northwest. We started the picking on August 28 and did a long and slow fermentation as usual. There was a gentle pressing for the Aligoté as we don’t want to damage the stems, then cooled the juice down, a 36-hour settling before alcoholic fermentation and élevage in stainless steel so that it retains mineralité. The Clos la Folie Chardonnay comes from the same parcels and is also raised in stainless steel. In 2022, we have large blending tanks, so that means there is more homogenization in the cuvée.” I have waxed lyrical about this Rully producer for several years now. I always make a beeline for their wines on Burgundy restaurant lists. They are beautifully crafted—what you might call “honest” wines that transcend their status.

Neal Martin, Vinous

Where in the World is Domaine de la Folie?

Technically closer to Bouzeron, yet within the Rully appellation, Domaine de la Folie is in Chagny in the Côte Chalonnaise.