Domaine Arnaud Tessier

Michel Tessier used to run this estate until he tragically, and rather suddenly, died in the mid-noughties. His son, Arnaud, had little choice but to step up and take over things, despite no doubt having anticipated having an extended apprenticeship alongside his dad.

Michel had traditionally sold most his production to local négociants, but Arnaud quickly decided that he wanted to bottle as much as he could under his own name and we were amongst the first people to start importing his wines over 10 years ago. He and his partner, Catherine, are very much in this adventure together and can often be found in the vines pruning away together. They have recently taken over the old family house and cellars and have spent a lot of time and effort renovating both.

They have also been busy re-planting some of their vineyards, including, rather frustratingly, their prime site of Genevrières, which has, consequently, been out of production for a couple of years, but, happily, will be back in 2023. In total they farm, organically, 7.5 hectares of which a good proportion is Bourgogne, from which they make three different cuvées. They keep the amount of new oak quite low, as their lean, racy style doesn’t particularly support lots of wood.