Domaine Claire Naudin

The Naudin family is anchored at Magny-lès-Villers, a small commune at the north-east edge of the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits sub-region, just above the Côte de Nuits proper. Henri Naudin-Ferrand built the modern estate across the second half of the twentieth century, gradually accumulating parcels across the Hautes-Côtes and developing Bourgogne Aligoté and Hautes-Côtes Pinot Noir as the working production. Claire Naudin joined her father in the early 1990s after wine studies and took over winemaking direction across the decade, with Henri retaining oversight of the vineyard side until his retirement. The label retains the Henri Naudin-Ferrand name; the working domaine is widely known by Claire's name in the trade. The estate has remained a single-family operation across the generational handover, with Claire's commitment to organic and biodynamic farming reshaping vineyard practice across the 2000s and 2010s.

• Naudin family anchored at Magny-lès-Villers, a commune at the north-east edge of the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits
• Henri Naudin-Ferrand built the modern estate across the second half of the twentieth century
• Claire Naudin joined in the early 1990s and took over winemaking direction across the decade
• Label retains the Henri Naudin-Ferrand name; the working domaine is widely known by Claire's name in the trade

The estate covers approximately 22 hectares with the bulk of holdings in the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits and the Hautes-Côtes de Beaune. Hautes-Côtes de Nuits parcels include Le Clou (a single-parcel block at Magny-lès-Villers planted to Aligoté), the Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits sites for both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and a small Côte de Nuits-Villages parcel. Hautes-Côtes de Beaune holdings include Pinot Noir and Chardonnay parcels at higher elevation in the southern Hautes-Côtes. The estate also farms a small parcel for Bourgogne Passe-Tout-Grains, the historic Burgundy blend of Pinot Noir and Gamay. Yields run 35 to 50 hectolitres per hectare depending on appellation and parcel; the Hautes-Côtes elevation (300 to 400 metres) and cooler microclimate give the estate later harvest dates than the Côte d'Or proper.

• Approximately 22 hectares; bulk in Hautes-Côtes de Nuits and Hautes-Côtes de Beaune with small Côte de Nuits/Beaune village footprint
• Le Clou single-parcel Aligoté block at Magny-lès-Villers feeds the signature Bourgogne Aligoté Le Clou 34 bottling
• Hautes-Côtes de Beaune holdings at higher elevation in the southern Hautes-Côtes
• Small parcel for Bourgogne Passe-Tout-Grains (the historic Burgundy Pinot Noir + Gamay blend)

Claire Naudin progressively converted the estate to organic and then biodynamic farming across the 2000s and 2010s. The conversion was driven by soil-health concerns specific to the Hautes-Côtes elevation (cooler microclimate, longer dampness retention) and by Claire's commitment to working with minimal chemical inputs. The estate received organic certification from Ecocert in 2010 and progressed to biodynamic practice (without pursuing Demeter certification) shortly thereafter. The biodynamic protocols include the use of horn manure, horn silica, and seasonal preparations, with attention to lunar timing for treatment and pruning. The Hautes-Côtes climate makes biodynamic work more challenging than the warmer Côte d'Or slopes, and the estate's progress through the conversion has been cited as a reference for what is possible at this elevation.

• Claire Naudin progressively converted the estate to organic and biodynamic farming across the 2000s and 2010s
• Conversion driven by soil-health concerns specific to the Hautes-Côtes elevation and a commitment to minimal chemical inputs
• Ecocert organic certification in 2010 with biodynamic practice (without pursuing Demeter certification) shortly thereafter
• Biodynamic protocols include horn manure, horn silica, and seasonal preparations with attention to lunar timing

The signature wine is Bourgogne Aligoté Le Clou 34, a single-parcel bottling from the Le Clou block at Magny-lès-Villers. Claire identified an unusual subclone of Aligoté Vert (the more aromatic of the two main Aligoté biotypes, distinguished from the more common Aligoté Doré) in old plantings at Le Clou; the 34 refers to the row number of the original mother vine. The wine is made from this subclone with strict yield control and barrel élevage that runs longer than is typical for Aligoté (twelve to eighteen months in older Burgundy barrels). The result is a Bourgogne Aligoté with substantial textural development and aromatic complexity that operates at a meaningfully higher quality tier than the regional baseline. Le Clou 34 has been one of the central wines in the modern Aligoté revival, alongside the Bouzeron AOC anchor wines from Domaine de Villaine and the Coche-Dury Bourgogne Aligoté.

• Bourgogne Aligoté Le Clou 34 from a single parcel at Magny-lès-Villers using an unusual subclone of Aligoté Vert
• The 34 refers to the row number of the original mother vine identified by Claire in the old plantings
• Wine made with strict yield control and twelve to eighteen months barrel élevage in older Burgundy barrels
• One of the central wines in the modern Aligoté revival alongside Bouzeron anchor wines from Domaine de Villaine and the Coche-Dury Bourgogne Aligoté

Claire Naudin is the contemporary Hautes-Côtes de Nuits quality reference. The estate has demonstrated across two decades that the Hautes-Côtes can support estate-bottled work at quality levels distinct from the cheaper bottlings that the sub-region has historically supplied to négociants. The Bourgogne Aligoté Le Clou 34 has been particularly influential in the broader Aligoté revival, demonstrating that single-parcel work on this often-neglected variety can produce wines of genuine cellar interest. Claire's biodynamic conversion has positioned the estate alongside Domaine de Villaine (Bouzeron) and Domaine A.-F. Gros (Pommard and Hautes-Côtes de Nuits) as the credibility argument for biodynamic farming in cooler-microclimate Burgundy. The Naudin estate sits among the small group of reference producers anchored in the Hautes-Côtes rather than the Côte d'Or, with the Magny-lès-Villers home commune providing identity distinct from the Côte d'Or producers who also work Hautes-Côtes parcels as supplement.

• Contemporary Hautes-Côtes de Nuits quality reference; demonstrated estate-bottled work at quality levels distinct from the négociant supply baseline
• Bourgogne Aligoté Le Clou 34 influential in the broader Aligoté revival alongside Bouzeron anchor wines and Coche-Dury Bourgogne Aligoté
• Biodynamic conversion positions the estate alongside Domaine de Villaine (Bouzeron) and Domaine A.-F. Gros as credibility argument for cooler-microclimate biodynamic Burgundy
• Among the small group of reference producers anchored in the Hautes-Côtes rather than the Côte d'Or