Domaine Launay-Horiot – Pommard Premier Cru Les Chaponnières 2016 – Burgundy France

Xavier Horiot flew fighter jets for the French Air Force for eighteen years. His grandfather's dying wish was that he save the family domaine — which took eleven years in court and cost most of the vineyards. Les Chaponnières is one of the premier crus he kept, and 2016 was only the third vintage he made.

🍷 At a Glance

• Grape: 100% Pinot Noir
• Appellation: Pommard Premier Cru Les Chaponnières
• Region: Côte de Beaune, Burgundy
• Vintage: 2016
• Producer: Domaine Launay-Horiot
• Winemaker: Xavier Horiot
• Holding: 0.6 hectares of old vines, south-facing
• Soil: Clay and limestone
• Average yield: 48 hl/ha
• Estate: Around 4 hectares, all that survived an eleven-year inheritance dispute from an original 11.5
• Vinification: Hand-harvested and fully destemmed, several days of cold maceration, pump-overs rather than punch-downs to keep the berries whole; 12 to 16 months in oak, around 30% new
• Serving temperature: 15–17°C
• Style: Dry red wine

👃 Tasting Notes & Experience

• Color: Deep ruby
• Nose: Fine dark fruit with a savoury edge
• Palate: Good depth, fragrant and balanced rather than heavy
• Structure: Chalky tannins, concentrated by old vines and low yields
• Finish: Long and savoury

The Launays have grown vines since the 1700s, first at Chassagne-Montrachet and then in Pommard from around the eighteenth century. Raymond Launay bought the two Gevrey grands crus in the early 1950s and, before his death in 2000, left the domaine jointly to his daughter and his grandson — only to discover she intended to sell. French inheritance law left him unable to prevent it, so he asked Xavier to fight. The case ran eleven years and was decided in Xavier's favour in 2011; roughly 4 hectares of the original 11.5 survived, including Latricières-Chambertin and Chambertin. In the cellar his approach is deliberately gentle: everything destemmed, a long cold soak, and pump-overs instead of punch-downs so the berries stay intact and build aroma. Neal Martin, tasting the range, remarked on a clarity that occasionally reminded him of Armand Rousseau.

❤️ Why We Love It

• A premier cru from a domaine rescued from disappearance by a fighter pilot
• Old vines on a south-facing 0.6-hectare parcel of clay and limestone
• One of the more talked-about young addresses in Pommard, still modestly priced

🍽️ Food Pairing Ideas

• Roast beef, venison and game
• Boeuf bourguignon and slow-braised dishes
• Aged hard cheeses

👤 Who This Wine Is For

✓ Drinkers who want structured Pommard with freshness rather than rusticity
✓ Anyone who likes buying from a domaine early in its rise
✕ Not ideal if you want a soft, immediately open Burgundy