Domaine Nadège & Emmanuel Fellot

Nestled in the rolling hills of southern Beaujolais, in an area known as the Pierres Dorées, we find Nadège & Emmanuel Fellot and their small, organic domaine. A family with a deep viticultural history in the region, the Fellots have cultivated this land since 1829, crafting wines that express the unique character of its diverse terroirs—from ancient granite to clay-limestone soils. And the Chardonnays we’ve just landed are site-expressive, delicious, and a ridiculous value. We may have found the needle in the Burgundy haystack.

Emmanuel Fellot took over from his father in 1991 and today, along with his wife Nadège and their three daughters, cultivate 20 hectares of vineyards between Mont Brouilly and the Nizerand Valley. Since 2018, the estate has been fully committed to organic farming and agro-ecology. Manu says it’s important that "we sow cereals, clover, flowers between the rows of vines to bring diversity, [and] attract bees...and we dig ponds, plant hedges, and install nesting boxes to encourage wildlife."

It’s here that the cover crops nurture biodiversity, increase carbon capture, fix nitrogen, and enrich the soil. Hedges, fruit trees, and wildflowers line the vineyards, attracting pollinators and birds while creating a balanced ecosystem. The family also raises cows, which contribute to the cycle by providing natural manure to enrich the vines.

The Fellots are farmers at heart, and the steep hillsides, vines, and livestock are integral parts of daily life. Today, 52% of their holdings are planted to Gamay, 33% to Chardonnay, and 15% to Pinot Noir. In the region, only three percent of the area under vine is planted to Chardonnay! This may be the natural limit since the clay-limestone and alluvial soils more suited to Chardonnay are quite rare compared to the Gamay-friendly granite soils.

The Fellot Bourgogne Blanc comes from a parcel of Chardonnay known as the Croix du Bois in the commune of Denicé. This region is called the Pierres Dorées, or golden stones, because of the prevalence of golden-hued ochre stones, used in the construction of old buildings in and around Lyon (just 25 miles to the southeast). Their plot was planted between 2002 and 2006 on clay-limestone soil with plenty of ammonite fossils.

Their Beaujolais Blanc comes from younger plots of Chardonnay grown in Denicé and in Saint Julien just to the north. These were planted between 2015 and 2017 on clay-limestone and clay-silt soils.