Domaine des Malandes, located in Chablis, a Burgundy appellation in France, is a family-owned winery. Its history dates back to 1949, when Lyne Marchive's parents harvested their first grapes in their Fourchaume vineyard. At that time, frost and a lack of mechanization made vineyard work particularly difficult and unprofitable. Despite these challenges, Lyne Marchive's parents entrusted 7 hectares to their daughter.
Lyne Marchive founded Domaine des Malandes in Chablis in 1973. For 30 years, she developed her own operating area, expanded her winery, and modernized its facilities. She travels the world, selling her Chablis wines to the best tables in Asia, Europe, and the Americas.
In 2018, she decided to hand over the reins to her children, Richard and Amandine, with her eldest daughter, Marion, working on Domaine des Malandes-related projects in California, USA. Richard founded his winery in Beaujolais, using Moulin a Vent grapes since 2007. Richard also has winemaking experience in various countries: California, South Africa, and New Zealand.
Region
Today, the winery covers 29-30 hectares, with vineyards spread across the heart of Chablis, encompassing Petit Chablis, Chablis, Premier Cru (Fourchaume, Montmains, etc.), and Grand Cru (Vaudésir, Les Clos), making it one of the few Chablis wineries covering all levels. Since 2019, it has fully transitioned to organic farming, obtaining EU organic certification (AB label) in 2022. It completely rejects chemical fertilizers, herbicides, and pesticides, relying on manual weeding, organic fertilizers, and natural protection to safeguard the natural growth of the vines.
The current winemaker, Guinole Breteaudeau, has worked at the winery since 2006, using his years of winemaking experience and a deep respect for the terroir to create exceptional wines each year. In recent years, several of Chablis' wines have received high scores and positive reviews from wine critics.
Winemaking
The grapes are harvested by hand, bunch by bunch, with each berry carefully selected to remove unripe or damaged fruit, leaving only the highest quality grapes for the winemaking process. A gentle, pneumatic pressing method is then used to avoid bitterness from broken seeds, selecting only the clear free-run juice and first press to preserve the grapes' pure flavor to the greatest extent possible. Fermentation takes place in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature of 16-18°C using natural yeasts. This maximizes the preservation of the grapes' fresh fruit aromas and bright acidity while allowing the wine to express its terroir more authentically. The aging process uses a combination of 70% stainless steel tanks and 30% old oak barrels for 8-10 months. The old oak barrels do not impart overly strong vanilla or toasty flavors, but instead contribute a slight tannin structure and complexity while preserving the wine's pure minerality. No new barrel fortification is used, ensuring the wine remains true to Chablis' core style of "light and refreshing." In addition, the wine undergoes complete malolactic fermentation, which transforms the sharp malic acid into soft lactic acid, making the taste more rounded and smooth.
