Interview with Camille Thiriet

May 11, 2020
by Justine Puaud

Can you tell us a little bit about your “micro” business?

After several trips to Australia and New Zealand, I moved back to Burgundy and my dream came true! In 2016, I was creating a micro negoce in my garage. At that time, I was making only 2 wines in 7 barrels. My goal was to enhance the lesser-known appellations of Burgundy and be able to produce NO more than 15,000 bottles per year.

Have you made some changes in the vineyard and cellar work since the creation of your domaine ?

As I said, my goal was to be able to produce between 13,000 and 15,000 bottles of wine in the next 5 years. Today, I can say that I achieved my goal after only 4 years!

To give you some history: In 2016, I only had 2 cuvees for a total of 2,000 bottles:
Côte de Nuits Villages Aux Montagnes
Bourgogne Blanc Cuvée Confidentielle

In 2017, I made a 3rd wine: Bourgogne Rouge les Blanches with my own vines from Pommard. I produced a total of 3,500 bottles.
In 2018, the production went up to 6,000 bottles! I added 3 wines in my micro domaine: a Vezelay, a Volnay and a Savagnin.
At the end of 2018, I bought some Aligoté vines in Pommard.
In 2019, I added the Bourgogne Aligoté and 2 news parcels of Côte de Nuits Villages which I am really proud of! The Côte de Nuits Villages Les Retraits and the Côte de Nuits Villages Les Vignottes. Total of the production of 2019 is 13,000 bottles.

Can you tell us a little bit about your Côte de Nuits Villages (from the most elegant to the most rustic)?

The three parcels are between Comblanchien and Premeaux-Prissey.

1. The Côte de Nuits Villages Les Retraits is literally next to Frederic Mugnier’s vineyard, Clos de La Maréchale. It is an elegant wine with a nice aroma of crushed strawberries. In my opinion, this is not representative of a Côte de Nuits Village because it is very subtle and delicate.

2. The Côte de Nuits Villages Aux Montagne is in front of Château de Comblanchien, on the slope. The vines benefit from exceptional exposure to the sun. Based on the geographical situation, it is definitely a terroir of a premier cru. This wine has more structure and more tannins.

3. The Côte de Nuits Villages Les Vignottes faces the Clos de La Maréchale but is on the other side of the road. This is the “big daddy” of the 3 parcels. Beautiful dark ruby color with good tannins. On the palate there is a dominance of dark fruits and raspberry. I love the fact that they are all in the same area but so different. It is a good example of Burgundy and its notion of terroir.

When do you think it is a good time to drink your wines in general?

Ideally with a minimum of 3 years!

Do you have new projects for the domaine?

Now I am in a phase of stabilization. I want to keep control of everything. At this time I cannot increase my production. My partner, Matt, is helping part time but most of the time I have to do everything by myself. There is quite a lot between the grape purchasing, the vinification, the client relationships, etc…

Have you always wanted to be a winemaker?

When I was younger, I always wanted to be the “nose” of a perfume company. I was not really into science... My major in college was literature so after my graduation I decided to enter a Business School specialized in Wine Marketing and Management. After my MBA I knew I didn’t want to work in sales...I moved back to Burgundy and worked with Nicolas Potel. I did the harvest and the vinification. This is where I realized I loved the production side of the wine. I quickly asked if I could buy grapes from him. I tried to convince my partner Matt. He said “no” the first time, the second time and then he finally said yes!! It was in 2014 when we started with our first purchased grapes.

What is your general winemaking philosophy?

I am learning everyday and asking myself consistently if I am doing the right thing. It is stressful but I am learning from my mistakes. I think making wine is like cooking. You need to know your products perfectly to make a great dish! You taste and then you adjust if necessary. All your senses are stimulated. I think the vinification is like the butterfly effect. Every single decision will have a huge impact on your wine. This is the most stressful and important moment in the wine making process. Each winemaker has his/her own identity and his/her own signature.