Written: August 2022

Since 1993 Hervé Kerlann has developed a company called Direct Domaines Distribution aimed principally at selling wines from Burgundy into Asia. In 1998 he bought part of the Château de Laborde, down in the plain below the Côte. He currently has 3ha in property, with a small holding of white Santenay just added, and gets the grapes from one half of the Heresztyn family (Bernard & Chantal) of Gevrey-Chambertin, amounting to a further three hectares. His vineyards are certified HVE since 2020 and will be organic from 2022.

For his red wines, Herve Kerlann doesn’t like to push maturity because he wants acidity and to avoid any figginess. The technique is as follows: pick in cases, pass across the sorting table, destem, use bio control yeast additions which limit the need for sulphur, a cool pre-ferment, but not too cool, at 12-13°C. He starts with a couple of punch downs. then switches to pump over, with just a light rinsing of the cap for the last few days. The whole process can last a full month. He keeps a tight control on solids at pressing, separates the vin de presse, which can be reintroduced later after filtering. Typically, 30% new wood is used throughout. Bottling is under cork, or DIAM for generics.

We mostly tasted the 2019 vintage, in bottle, with degrees which did not exceed 13.8%.