Frédéric Cossard
If you like your Burgundy heavy on the joie-de-vivre, let us put you on to Frédéric Cossard. The man with the Midas touch, Cossard grew up traversing the hallowed slopes of Bourgogne, but these are no legacy wines. Initially following in his father’s footsteps to enter the milk trade before studying oenology in Beaune, Cossard’s Domaine de Chassorney is very much a built-from-scratch operation, kicking off in ‘96 with a few hectares of rented vines across Saint Romain and Auxey Duresses.
Now boasting ten hectares of vines across multiple villages, Cossard releases wines eponymously and under the Domaine de Chassorney label.
Despite growth of both labels over the past three decades, they remain elusive. Crisp, juicy whites and sumptuous, velvety reds– if you have the chance to get your hands on some of these babies, don’t snooze. They go in a flash, and boy, we can see why.
A bastion of the biodynamic and a strong proponent of minimal intervention winemaking, Cossard brings the best of biodynamic farming, and even some of the hygiene practices applied in the handling of raw milk, to viticulture. Minimal intervention certainly not translating here to minimal effort. Think: slavishly applying homeopathic tinctures to stave off vine disease, horse-drawn ploughing of vineyards, extended macerations and ferments free of sulfur, barrel sanitation via ionized negative oxygen molecules… These are vines, and wines, that have been babied and blessed– it shows too.
Despite growth of both labels over the past three decades, they remain elusive. Crisp, juicy whites and sumptuous, velvety reds– if you have the chance to get your hands on some of these babies, don’t snooze. They go in a flash, and boy, we can see why.
A bastion of the biodynamic and a strong proponent of minimal intervention winemaking, Cossard brings the best of biodynamic farming, and even some of the hygiene practices applied in the handling of raw milk, to viticulture. Minimal intervention certainly not translating here to minimal effort. Think: slavishly applying homeopathic tinctures to stave off vine disease, horse-drawn ploughing of vineyards, extended macerations and ferments free of sulfur, barrel sanitation via ionized negative oxygen molecules… These are vines, and wines, that have been babied and blessed– it shows too.
Common across Cossard’s range is a vitality and freshness that just hits, and a deep mineral salinity that speaks to the limestone-rich terroir of Saint-Romain. Minimal fining and filtration, but a stunning purity nonetheless. Cossard’s 2021 Volnay is a cracker premium example; seriously sensual stuff boasting gentle spice, rosebuds and red fruit. Here, fruit has been treated with utmost respect, romance even.
There’s just something about a man who doesn’t shy away from ‘the extra mile’, but sprints it at pace. If you want to taste what that extra leg-work yields, we suggest you run, don’t walk, also.
There’s just something about a man who doesn’t shy away from ‘the extra mile’, but sprints it at pace. If you want to taste what that extra leg-work yields, we suggest you run, don’t walk, also.
Crisp, juicy whites and sumptuous, velvety reds– if you have the chance to get your hands on some of these babies, don’t snooze.