omaine Ferrari in Irancy is built on dreams. And hard work. Little did Christophe Ferrari know where fate would take him when he as a young student went to Irancy to earn a bit of money during harvest.

– It was in 1982, explains his son Nicolas Ferrari who is now in charge at the domaine. He discovered he liked it so much he didn’t want to leave. He had found what he wanted to do for a living. He grew up on the other side of the departement, on the Tonnerre side, but he had no connection with the wine world.

Today the domaine has grown to cover 23 hectares. It is mainly Irancy, but there is also some Chablis and Saint-Bris.

– I arrived here in 2013, says Nicolas Ferrari. Our father stopped vinifying in 2015. That year he said to me ”you’re in charge now, you handle things”. My brother James had started in 2011, but he left in 2020. He wasn’t comfortable with the job. He doesn’t like wine and he wanted to focus on cereal crops.

For Christophe Ferrari there was never any hesitation. After that harvest in 1982 he finished his studies and returned to Irancy to find a job. His goal was to eventually build a domaine of his own. He started out working with Pierre and Adrien ”Friquet” Podor and they created GAEC Saint-Germain, a farming association. GAEC stands for Groupement Agricole d'Exploitation en Commun. While the two others brought in seven hectares of vineyards each he provided the labour.

– In 1987 his dream had come true, says Nicolas Ferrari. In 1991 the two others told him it was time for him to stand on his own two feet.They had no-one to inherit their vineyards and they thought he did a good job. The GAEC was dissolved and Domaine Saint-Germain saw the light of day. And he was his own boss.

For Nicolas Ferrari himself the road to winemaking was less straightforward. He was initially going for environmental resource management. But as their father’s retirement approached he changed his mind since he didn’t want to lose the domaine.

There isn’t much white wine at the domaine. The village appellation Chablis of Domaine Ferrari comes from two south facing hectares of vines next to Vaupulent, one of the premier crus just outside Fontenay-près-Chablis.

– It’s a vineyard we planted in 1998, explains Nicolas Ferrari. I make the Chablis in tank only. 14-15 months of élevage. A little bit of bâtonnage in order to amplify the fat that already is present thanks to the terroir.

– In 2011 we took on Domaine Joudelat where there were no successors. Among the vineyards were a tiny plot of Saint-Bris, just 30 ares. You can produce 2000 bottles. That’s all.

He points out that creating a domaine of this size today would be more or less impossible. Land prices have increased and even lesser vineyards tend to sell for 100 000 euros per hectare. In 2006 the Saint-Germain in the domaine name was dropped in favour of the family name, partly because they had become tired of explaining who Saint-Germain was (among other tings he founded the abbey in nearby Auxerre).

– Now we have to explain our Italian roots instead, smiles Nicolas Ferrari. Our great-grandparents and our grandfather were the ones who emigrated from Italy and came here for work.

The basic Irancy cuvée at Domaine Ferrari is a blend of several parcels of pinot noir. Élevage is done in tanks. No barrels here. At least 18 months. Sometimes 24.

– You have parcels like La Grande Côte in Cravant, which is facing northwest. And you have Les Cailles and Veauchassy facing south or southwest. There is a number of different exposures. The same goes for the soil. There is more or less clay, more or less limestone. Top and bottom of the slope. It is really a cuvée which always very well represents the appellation and the vintage. With small variations it is the same parcels every year.

The main part of the Irancy appellation forms a large amphitheatre around the village, but parts of the appellation spill over into the neighbouring villages of Cravant and Vincelottes.

– You have La Grande Côte in Cravant. The exposition of this lieu-dit is good. The soil is similar to the main section of the appellation. But you are moving away from that special micro-climate. The pinot noirs produced in the Côtes d’Auxerre and Coulanges-la-Vineuse don’t have the same complexity. Irancy has a spicy, peppery character which is not found in the other appellations.

Domaine Ferrari produce three Irancy single vineyard cuvées. Le Paradis, La Bergère and Les Mazelots. The latter is up on the slope just behind the domaine. It is facing south, southwest.

– The Irancy amphitheatre protects the vineyards from the wind, but it is open to the southwest. This makes Les Mazelots a bit particular since it is one of the few vineyards that are not protected from the wind. You can compare it with Le Paradis, which is just to the east of Les Mazelots, but protected from the wind. The soil is pretty much the same, so the difference is the topography.

Domaine Ferrari is at the top of Les Mazelots. In total this lieu-dit covers 14 hectares, split between several owners. It produces a wine which is rich and with more power than the average Irancy. Nicolas Ferrari uses 600 litre barrels, demi-muids. New oak is limited to 25 per cent. Élevage is twelve months in barrel and an additional six months in tank.

– While Les Mazelots is a convex vineyard Le Paradis is like a mini-amphitheatre. It’s called Vallon de Paradis. Le Paradis is very much about balance and power. Les Mazelots is more approachable when young, while Le Paradis needs time.

Just before you enter Irancy from the east you have La Bergère on your right. This vineyard has a different kind of soil than the previous two. More limestone and the bedrock is closer. But in the cellar it receives the same treatment as both Les Mazelots and Le Paradis. 18 months of élevage in both demi-muid and tank.

– Then we have Irancy, Plein Sud. This is my baby, says Nicolas Ferrari. It’s a blend from several parcels. The first vintage was 2015. I was working with my father and I thought it was a pity to use parcels like Les Cailles, Croix Rouge, La Grande Côte, Veauchassy, La Comme, all with a nice southern exposure, for the main cuvée. I didn’t want to turn everything into single vineyards cuvées, even if that would work. But the tastings would never end. The parcels and grapes used for this cuvée are all selected with respect to maturity.

One can’t talk about Irancy without mentioning the césar, one Burgundy’s exceptions when it comes to grape varieties. Irancy is a red only appellation, but here you are allowed to add up to ten per cent césar to the pinot noir. At Domaine Ferrari there is just one Irancy cuvée where you will find some césar. Le Paradis contains five per cent césar.

Apart from Le Paradis there is also a cuvée with 100 per cent césar. Since this is way over the limit for what is tolerated for the Irancy appellation it is labelled as a Coteaux Bourguignons. Nicolas Ferrari also produces a 100 per cent gamay cuvée, as well as a 100 cent pinot noir. All three are produced in exactly the same way. The only thing that sets them apart is the grape variety.

© 2023 Ola Bergman