FREDERIC COSSARD: FORMER CHEESEMAKER TURNED CULT NATURAL WINEMAKER WORKS MAGIC IN BURGUNDY
What does raw, unpasteurized cheese have to do with cult Burgundy? Well, if you havent heard of Frédéric Cossard, this famous natural winemaker actually was a dairy engineer who made cheese prior to becoming a highly sought after Burgundian winemaker. His philosophy in cheese-making is similar to his winemaking philosophy - pure, well cared for ingredients that are processed using minimal intervention, therefore allowing the final product to be demonstrative of the quality of its parts. Unlike many of his peers, Frédéric was not born into a winemaking family - he had to start his winemaking journey from scratch, no mean feat in Burgundy! His estate, Domaine de Chassorney, was created in 1996 and started with a few hectares of vineyards in the villages of Saint Romain and Auxey-Duresses. It has grown since then, and now covers 10 hectares across several villages. Frédérics approach to winemaking is rooted in a more natural approach: this involves organic viticulture, spontaneous fermentation, whole cluster, as well as an emphasis on concrete and Georgian quevri instead of new oak. Frédéric also makes wine as a negociant under his own Frederic Cossard label. These wines are equally as good as those made under his Chassorney label, as Cossard works hand in hand with each individual grower to ensure that the vines are managed to his exacting standards. These are wines of elegance and character, and while most of his wine comes from Burgundy, he has experimented using grapes from the Jura, Languedoc and Beaujolais. - MEG VAN TIL