DOMAINE
FRANÇOIS CARILLON
2021 VINTAGE, EN PRIMEUR
INTRODUCTION
François’ 2021s are poised beautifully between pristine fruit, taut acidity and textural presence.

Since its first vintage in 2010, Domaine François Carillon has proven to be not only a worthy successor to the much-loved wines of François’ father, Louis Carillon, but one of the most exciting producers in Puligny-Montrachet today.
We have been the domaine’s exclusive UK agent since the beginning and are also proud to work with the wines in Hong Kong, Singapore and Shanghai.
Sitting in the very centre of the village of Puligny-Montrachet, the domaine was established following the retirement of Louis Carillon, whose vineyards were divided between François and his brother Jacques.
François’ 2021s are poised beautifully between pristine fruit, taut acidity and textural presence. Quantities are predictably tiny given the reduced crop in 2021, so please bear with us while we try to allocate the wines as fairly as possible.
Guy Seddon
Head of Fine Wine Buying
July 2023
THE 2021 VINTAGE
The 2021 season was unique. A white wine vintage, in the traditional mould of fresh acidities and crunchy fruit.
A total break from the modern run of warm summers, which has since resumed in 2022.
It was also a year of painfully low quantities, thanks to the frost and humidity. If you thought last year’s Carillon offer was tricky…
After a winter which alternated between cool and mild temperatures, March turned out to be spring-like, even hot in the last week of the month. The buds appeared, vegetative growth began… and then, like lambs to the slaughter, the vines were hit by three days of snow and three nights of severe frost, from 6th to 8th April. Losses ranged from a third to nearly everything.
April and May were then cool and rainy, which slowed down vine growth. June alternated between stormy periods and heat. These erratic conditions culminated in a short heatwave from 15th to 19th June, followed by thunderstorms the following week.
Summer was grey and rather wet: perfect conditions for powdery mildew (oidium), which loves humid, low-light conditions. This required frequent spraying in the vineyards. The sun eventually re-emerged in the second half of August, along with a significant rise in temperatures. Things were finally looking up: this run of clement weather lasted throughout the first half of September, allowing the ripening process to catch up.
The return of rain in mid-September (up to 65mm in a single week) coincided with harvest.

THE WINES

All wines undergo alcoholic and malolactic fermentation in oak barrels, where they remain for one year, followed by six months in stainless steel vats prior to bottling.
The percentage of new oak, from the Tronçais and Alliers forests, is decreasing at the domaine and is now around 10% for villages wines and 15% for premiers crus.
Bottling takes place during a favourable period in the lunar cycle.
MÂCON BLANC
This new addition to the Carillon line-up is a négociant bottling, from vines in the village of Mâcon-Igé, where Domaines Leflaive also makes a wine. Aromas of hay and chalky minerality lead into a palate of fresh white peach fruit. A small proportion of new oak has brought a nice fleshiness to the mid-palate. Just over 3,000 bottles have been made.
Corney & Barrow Score 16.5
Recommended drinking from 2023–2036
'CAP AU SUD'
This exciting new addition comes from the limestone slopes of Montagnac, north of Nîmes, in the foothills of the Cévennes mountains. The climate here is Mediterranean – it’s a long way from Puligny! The vines, at 250 metres above sea level, were planted in 1990. As the name suggests, Cap au Sud is a southern wine – with the perfume, richness and joyful stone-fruit that entails. Crucially, it has enjoyed the domaine’s classical élevage, back in Puligny-Montrachet. The use of 20% new oak for 11 months has rounded out the palate, bringing substance and presence to this early-drinking charmer. 13.5% abv.
Corney & Barrow Score 17+
Recommended drinking from 2023–2026
BOURGOGNE ALIGOTÉ
Made from the Aligoté doré clone, this wine is a selection from parcels in Puligny-Montrachet and Corpeau, near Chassagne-Montrachet. Bright, crisp orchard fruit, with expressive ripe green apple, finishing with a bite of fine chalky minerality. It remains in 500L barrels for around a year, with no new oak.
Corney & Barrow Score 16.5
Recommended drinking from 2024–2028
BOURGOGNE CÔTE D’OR CHARDONNAY
François Carillon’s Côte d’Or Chardonnay comes from five hectares, spread over various plots in Puligny-Montrachet. Highly classical aromas of white flowers and flinty minerality. The palate opens with an acid-driven crunch, apple and pear fruit giving way on the mid-palate to fleshier stone-fruit, with granular salty minerality running throughout. Aged in oak barrels, 10% new oak.
Corney & Barrow Score 17.5
Recommended drinking from 2024–2028
C&B BOURGOGNE CÔTE D’OR CHARDONNAY
Once again, this was so good, we have decided to bottle it under our own ‘C&B partnership’ label. François Carillon’s Côte d’Or Chardonnay comes from five hectares, spread over various plots in Puligny-Montrachet. Highly classical aromas of white flowers and flinty minerality. The palate opens with an acid-driven crunch, apple and pear fruit giving way on the mid-palate to fleshier stone-fruit, with granular salty minerality running throughout. Aged in oak barrels, 10% new oak. The total production? 2021 bottles!
Corney & Barrow Score 17.5
Recommended drinking from 2024–2028
SAINT-AUBIN 1ER CRU MURGERS DES DENTS DE CHIEN
This vineyard overlooks the grands crus of Puligny-Montrachet and is over the road from Les Champs Gains. The name refers to the vineyard’s stones being as sharp as dogs’ teeth. 2013 was François’ first vintage from this 0.67 hectare parcel. Aromas of pastry and white flowers, leading into a palate of white peach fruit, with a flamboyant grapefruit flair. Pliant and approachable, finishing pithy and salty.
Corney & Barrow Score 17+
Recommended drinking from 2024–2028
PULIGNY-MONTRACHET 1ER CRU CHAMPS-GAIN
The domaine’s holding in Champs-Gain is a steeply sloping two-hectare plot, planted with 50+ year old vines, high on the slope alongside St-Aubin Murgers Dents de Chien. Citrussy and tensile, grapefruited and steely – this has the driven acidity of 2021, with a gratifying ripeness. A third was vinified in large 350 litre barrels and the rest in standard 228 litre pièces. 10% new oak. Just four barrels were made.
Corney & Barrow Score 17.5+
Recommended drinking from 2025–2032
PULIGNY-MONTRACHET 1ER CRU LES PERRIÈRES
François has 0.74 hectares of Perrières, spread over two plots, one of which is over 50 years old and the other was planted in 1973. Perhaps unsurprisingly, this was tightly coiled when we tasted it in autumn 2022, the fine citrus fruit and steely acidity pointing to a wine that will slowly unwind over the next decade and more. 10% new oak. Only three barrels have been made.
Corney & Barrow Score 17.5+
Recommended drinking from 2027–2037
CHASSAGNE-MONTRACHET 1ER CRU LES MACHERELLES
This is on the northern (Puligny) side of the village, from a similar terroir to Perrières in Puligny, according to François, with little soil above the bedrock. In the words of winemaker Thomas Pascale, this is “the very best of the [domaine’s] Chassagnes”. This tends to be generous and giving in style, with excellent ageability. Sadly, we did not get to taste it at the time of our visit in autumn 2022.
Recommended drinking from 2025–2032
BOURGOGNE PINOT NOIR
The domaine’s Bourgogne Pinot Noir is a wine of upfront red cherry and raspberry fruit in the 2021 vintage, sustained by fresh acidity. An elegant Pinot Noir for early drinking, with pretty raspberry perfume lingering on the finish.
Corney & Barrow Score 16.5+
Recommended drinking from 2022–2025