The aging room at Domaine Guillaume Baduel in Pommard

Domaine Guillaume Baduel

Domaine Guillaume Baduel represents the heart and soul of the Burgundy wine region of France. We had the good fortune of visiting this Domaine on our recent trip to France and the Burgundy wine region. Domaine Guillaume Baduel is located in the village of Pommard (Domine de Pommard). The family has been making wine here for five generations. At the present time, Guillaume Baduel is the grower and the winemaker. Domaine Baduel is typical of all of Burgundy, where there are many small family wineries and the wine is produced in their homes. It’s their life and passion and, of course, their livelihood.

Pascal Wagner and Guillaume Baduel

The past three vintages have been very poor in the Burgundy region. Rain and hail have ravaged the vineyards. This has made it very difficult for these small growers to make a living. The Baduel Family is fortunate that they have some vineyards in what is called the AOC Bourgogne. In 2012, the hail missed portions of their vineyard in the Bourgogne and they were able to produce a moderate amount of Bourgogne Aligoté and a Bourgogne Burgundy (Pinot Noir). Their vineyards behind their home and cellars are classified as Premiere Cru. Only Grand Cru vineyards stand above the Premier Cru vines.  Unfortunately for the Baduel Family, they have lost most of these prized grapes over the last three vintages.

Most of the work in the Baduel vineyards is done by hand. A horse plow is used to till the soil between the vines. All pruning and harvesting is done by hand. The wine is aged in oak barrels, but only one new oak barrel is used each year. The other barrels used for aging range from one to five years old. The idea is to not have oak flavors that overpower either the fruity flavors of the Pinot Noir grapes or the mineral character from the limestone in the soil. In the second photo, we are here with our Burgundy tour guide, Pascal Wagner (left) and Guillaume Baduel. In Burgundy it is very difficult to visit the small growers, so hiring a tour guide from the area is in our opinion very essential.