Céline and Frédéric come from families of wine-growers, originally from Saint-Bris & Chablis. After working for her father Jean-Marc Brocard on his estate for 10 years, Céline & Frederic decided in 2013 to make their own wines. The style of Céline and Frédéric Gueguen wines is deliberately modern with a permanent commitment to respect and expression of the terroir’s identity. One of the main goals is to preserve their soil, which is why they use neither chemical fertilizers nor herbicides. Vintages from 2015 onward have been made using exclusively organic processes and the Domaine began its conversion to organic farming with its 2019 vintage. 36 hectares of vines are mainly composed of Chardonnay grape varieties in the Burgundy and Chablis appellations. They also cultivate Sauvignon (AOC Saint-Bris), Pinot Noir with the AOC Irancy; Aligoté, and Sacy and César, rare grape varieties.
The Gueguen’s Chablisian terroir extends over a Kimmeridgian subsoil formed in the Jurassic era. The clay-limestone soils are perfectly suited to the development of vines to have a naturally limited production. Limestones and marls of the middle and upper Kimmeridgian cover the most qualitative sectors of the appellation. This geological ensemble, rich in small fossil oysters (Exogyra virgula), represents the historical delimitation of the Chablisian. The soils can be relatively deep, on a marl substrate, or close to the bedrock and made up of small pebbles.
In 2018 the Gueguen’s vineyards are certified under the HVE programme “High Environmental Value” with the highest label for organic agriculture: Level 3 of (HEV) French’s commitment to producing award-winning wines that reflect its landscapes and climate has driven the country’s wine industry to become a world leader in sustainability. As such sustainability is considered key to the on-going success of the industry as it preserves the quality of Burgundy natural resources to enable the continued production of top-quality wine for generations to come. The HVE programme provides a framework for companies to improve their performance in terms of environment, social, and economic sustainability, in both the vineyard and winery.
