Domaine Colinot

The Colinot family records its wine-making activity in Irancy back to the seventeenth century. The family has remained in the commune across multiple generations, with the working estate passing through father-to-child transfers across at least eight generations. The modern Domaine Colinot took shape under Anita and Jean-Pierre Colinot across the 1980s and 1990s. The couple progressively rebuilt the estate's vineyard footprint with parcellary attention, established the bottling structure around named climats (a departure from the regional pattern of blending across parcels), and built the estate's reputation as the contemporary Irancy reference. Their daughter Stéphanie joined the operation in the 2000s after wine studies and has progressively assumed winemaking direction since the late 2000s, with Anita and Jean-Pierre continuing in advisory roles into the 2010s.

• Colinot family records wine-making activity in Irancy back to the seventeenth century
• Modern Domaine Colinot took shape under Anita and Jean-Pierre Colinot across the 1980s and 1990s
• Parcellary bottling around named Irancy climats was a departure from the regional pattern of blending across parcels
• Daughter Stéphanie progressively assumed winemaking direction since the late 2000s; Anita and Jean-Pierre continued in advisory roles into the 2010s

Irancy is the only Burgundy AOC that explicitly permits the blending of César with Pinot Noir, with the cahier des charges allowing up to 10 percent César in the blend. César is an indigenous Yonne variety with a deep ancestral history (DNA studies have suggested some Spanish/Iberian origin and the variety carries a strong colour and tannin profile that complements Pinot Noir). The Colinot estate has been one of the most consistent advocates for César's role in Irancy across decades; the estate maintains César plantings at several climats and uses small percentages of César in most of the named-climat cuvées. The estate's Irancy bottlings span the major climats: Les Mazelots (chalk slope above the village), La Palotte (south-facing parcel), Vignes Petite Côte (parcel on the steep west side), Les Cailles (rocky surface, the name means stones), and Côte du Moutier (named cru parcel). Each named-climat bottling is made separately with different César proportions and different élevage cycles.

• Irancy is the only Burgundy AOC that explicitly permits blending of César with Pinot Noir (up to 10 percent César)
• César is an indigenous Yonne variety with deep historical record; carries strong colour and tannin to complement Pinot Noir
• Colinot estate maintains César plantings at several climats and uses small percentages in most named-climat cuvées
• Named climats: Les Mazelots, La Palotte, Vignes Petite Côte, Les Cailles, Côte du Moutier; each bottled separately with different César proportions

The cellar approach is built around traditional Pinot Noir vinification adapted for the Pinot-César blend. Grapes are typically destemmed (with some whole-cluster proportion retained on selected vintages for the Pinot Noir component); César is destemmed throughout. Indigenous-yeast primary fermentation runs in concrete and stainless tanks rather than wood, preserving the bright red-fruit aromatic register characteristic of Irancy. The wines are pressed off and transferred to older Burgundy barrels for malolactic fermentation and élevage; new oak proportions are deliberately kept low (under 15 percent) to preserve varietal character rather than impose oak structure. Élevage runs twelve to sixteen months depending on cuvée, with the apex Côte du Moutier and Les Mazelots Vieilles Vignes receiving the longest aging. Bottling is done with minimal filtration. The signature Colinot profile is an Irancy with bright red-fruit aromatics, distinct mineral cut from the chalk slopes, and the structural backbone that the César contribution adds to the Pinot Noir base.

• Pinot Noir typically destemmed (with some whole-cluster proportion on selected vintages); César destemmed throughout
• Indigenous-yeast primary fermentation in concrete and stainless tanks rather than wood; preserves bright red-fruit aromatic register
• Élevage in older Burgundy barrels with under 15 percent new oak; twelve to sixteen months depending on cuvée
• Bottling with minimal filtration; profile carries bright red-fruit aromatics, mineral cut, and the structural backbone César adds to Pinot Noir

Domaine Colinot practices sustainable viticulture with reduced chemical inputs. The estate is not certified organic or biodynamic. The viticultural approach across the chalk slopes of Irancy includes cover crops between rows where the slope permits, manual ploughing in the steeper parcels, and selective spray regimes that minimize copper and sulfur use. The Irancy climate (cooler and damper than the Côte d'Or) makes certified-organic work more challenging than further south, and the estate's choice to remain sustainable-but-not-certified is shared with several Grand Auxerrois peers. Vine ages run high across the estate, with several parcels carrying mature plantings from the 1960s and 1970s. The vineyard work has been progressively refined under Stéphanie's direction without seeking formal certification.

• Sustainable viticulture with reduced chemical inputs; not certified organic or biodynamic
• Cover crops between rows where slope permits; manual ploughing on steeper parcels; selective spray regimes
• Irancy climate (cooler and damper than Côte d'Or) makes certified-organic work more challenging; sustainable-but-not-certified choice shared with several Grand Auxerrois peers
• Vine ages run high; several parcels carry mature plantings from the 1960s and 1970s

Colinot is the contemporary Irancy reference. The estate has anchored the appellation across two generations with parcellary work that established the named-climat hierarchy now recognized across the Irancy producer set. The commitment to César (the indigenous Yonne variety the rest of Burgundy does not produce) has been central to preserving the distinctive identity of the appellation against pressures to bottle pure Pinot Noir as Bourgogne. The estate's parcellary cuvées (Les Mazelots, La Palotte, Vignes Petite Côte, Côte du Moutier) provide a study in how single climats within a small Yonne appellation can articulate distinct expressions of the Pinot-César blend. Colinot sits among the small group of Grand Auxerrois producers anchoring the sub-region's quality identity alongside Domaine Goisot at Saint-Bris and Domaine Bersan, with the Irancy-anchored focus giving Colinot a distinct profile within that group.

• Contemporary Irancy reference; parcellary work across two generations established the named-climat hierarchy now recognized across the producer set
• Commitment to César central to preserving the distinctive identity of the appellation against pressures to bottle pure Pinot Noir as Bourgogne
• Parcellary cuvées provide study in how single climats within the small Yonne appellation articulate distinct Pinot-César blend expressions
• Among the small group of Grand Auxerrois producers anchoring sub-region quality identity alongside Goisot at Saint-Bris and Bersan