100% Chardonnay

Food pairings: Charcuterie as an aperitif, seafood and shellfish, and simply prepared fish.

Winemaking: The grapes are harvested by hand and pressed directly in a pneumatic press. The wine is aged for 11 months in previously used oak barrels, so the wood stays in the background, then fined and filtered before bottling.

Vineyards and terroir: The grapes come mainly from vines in the foothills of the Côte d'Or, on whitish or light grey marl and limestone marl soils that are shallow and stony. Chardonnay adapts easily to these varied soils and has built the international reputation of Burgundy's fine white wines. 'Les Chapitres' is Jaffelin's entry range, followed by 'Les Villages' and the top 'Les Paradis' wines.

Family and history: Maison Jaffelin's history is intertwined with that of the Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame in Beaune: for centuries its cellars, the 'Maison du Chapitre', housed the wines of the canons of the collegiate church. In 1816 the Jaffelin brothers founded their wine merchant house there, and the wines still age in the same vaulted cellars. Calling itself the smallest of the great Burgundy houses, Jaffelin renovated its vat room in 2004, and oenologist Marinette Garnier crafts its 'hand-made' wines in the heart of Beaune.

In the pictures: The entrance to the Cave du Chapitre, Maison Jaffelin's cellars at 2 rue Paradis in Beaune, below the tower of the Collegiate Church of Notre-Dame (photo: Pymouss, 2015, CC BY-SA 4.0).