About this producer
Although owned for many generations by the same family, Domaine Coquard-Loison-Fleurot is a relative newcomer to the international wine market. After years in the business of grape growing the family only recently started to bottle their own wine. Now, with the younger generation at the helm and having established a strong domestic following, Commercial Director Claire Fleurot has widened the lens of the business to include markets further afield.
The 9-hectare portfolio of Domaine Coquard-Loison-Fleurot, or ‘CLF’ as those in the know refer to it, includes a clutch of grand cru sites such as Charmes-Chambertin, Clos de la Roche, Clos-St-Denis, Clos de Vougeot, Échezeaux and Grands Échezeaux. This is further complemented by the premier cru Vosne Romanée site of Les Beaumonts, the 2015 vintage of which was described by Jancis Robinson MW as “Juicy and smooth and utterly flattering and gorgeous.” To complete the portfolio is a selection of village plots in Gevrey Chambertin, Morey-St-Denis, Chambolle-Musigny and Vosne-Romanée.
Winemaker Thomas Colladot, who shares a close friendship and common approach to winemaking with Sébastien Cathiard of Domain Sylvain Cathiard, joined CLF in 2010. Colladot’s winemaking skills have not gone unnoticed, obviously catching the attention of Wine Advocate’s Burgundy expert Neal Martin when he writes, “Domaine Coquard-Loison-Fleurot - there is clearly a skilled winemaker at work here.”
Fruit for all wines is harvested by hand and the wines undergo a maturation of approximately 18 months in oak before being released to the market unfined and unfiltered. Under Colladot’s guidance, the grand cru expressions exemplify power and individual site with signature purity and concentration of fruit. Of the 2014 Échezeaux, Wine Enthusiast’s Roger Vos describes a well-balanced “… big, ripe and bold wine full of red fruits and fine tannins. Crisp red currant outlines the ripe wild-strawberry flavours.”
The estate has continued to enjoy recognition from the international wine community, particularly from Jancis Robinson MW, who awarded the 2015 Grand Cru Clos St-Denis 18 points, describing the wine as “Racy and crackling with Morey drive and charm. Lip-smacking stuff but it demands time …”. The Échezeaux of the same vintage showed great intensity on the nose, resulting in an evocative description from Robinson; “Kerpow! … Sweet hit on the palate and then polished tannins and just the right amount of acidity. This should make attractive old bones.” As superlatives abound, it will be a lucky few that snap up these wines whilst they remain a treasured secret until the wider world of fine wine discovers them, transporting them swiftly from treasured secret to wishful thinking!
