2023 Sextant - Julien Altaber Bourgogne Blanc

Producer: Julien Altaber  |  Region: Burgundy  |  Grape: Chardonnay

About The Wine

This 100% Chardonnay is alive and vibrant. The taste lingers on the tongue and the length is very pleasing.

The grapes for this wine are from a plot of 45 year old Chardonnay owned by Fanny and Damien Gressard (Saint-Gengoux-Le-National, in the Côte Chalonnaise).

The soil is clay and limestone and the exposition south-east. The grapes were directly pressed and fermented in barrels where it aged on its lees for 12 months prior to bottling.

Total sulphites <20 mg/l. The grapes are certified organic.

About Julien Altaber

Born in the Auvergne region and raised in southern Burgundy, Julien Altaber's path began with childhood summers spent among cattle and tractors, instilling a deep connection to agricultural life. After secondary school, farming seemed the natural choice, but the realities of peasant agriculture led him toward the vineyards of the Mâconnais region.

At 16, Altaber's first winemaking internship proved transformative—the harvest, fermentation, and wine world captivated him completely. Following experiences across Mâconnais and Beaujolais, he spent two years at a Beaune trading house in 2000 before joining Dominique Derain's organic estate in Saint-Aubin in 2002.

Under Derain's mentorship, Altaber discovered organic farming, biodynamics, and natural winemaking while mastering every aspect of production. In 2007, encouraged by Dominique, he purchased his first Pinot Noir grapes, launching SEXTANT wines using borrowed facilities. By 2010, he acquired his first vineyard plot, expanded in 2013 with a winery in Saint-Aubin and plots in Pommard, and planted an additional half-hectare in 2015.

Snapshot

Region: Côte Chalonaisse, Burgundy

Country: France

Alcohol: 13%

Vintage: 2023

Size: 750ml

Closure: Cork

Varieties: Chardonnay