# Blanc-Sain Chardonnay (2023)

- **Producer:** Arnaud Combier
- **Colour:** white
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Chardonnay
- **Region:** Burgundy, France
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 12.5%
- **Average price:** €15
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 10–12 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** apple, peach, apricot, lemon, grapefruit, butter

## About this wine

Arnaud Combier is a key figure in the natural wine movement of southern Burgundy, with over two decades of experience crafting low-intervention wines. After working across prestigious Burgundy domaines, he transitioned his family vineyards to organic farming and launched micro-négociant projects. Blanc-Sain, which translates to 'healthy' or 'pure white,' is produced in collaboration with François de Nicolay of Domaine Chandon de Briailles and Jeff Carrel. Sourced from organic clay-limestone and granite vineyards in the Mâconnais and Beaujolais borderland, this cuvée offers an authentic expression of Burgundian Chardonnay under the Vin de France designation.

## Interesting facts

- The name Blanc-Sain translates to 'pure or healthy white', highlighting its unmanipulated vinification process.
- Producer Arnaud Combier has been a natural winemaking pioneer in southern Burgundy for more than 20 years.
- This wine is crafted as a collaborative project alongside François de Nicolay of Domaine Chandon de Briailles.

## Food pairing

The lively acidity and textured roundness of this Chardonnay allow it to seamlessly cut through rich butter and cream sauces while harmonizing with delicate proteins like poultry, pork, and sweet crustaceans.

## Wine making process

Harvested entirely by hand from certified organic vines. Whole clusters undergo direct pneumatic pressing followed by spontaneous fermentation driven purely by natural indigenous yeasts. The wine undergoes maturation in a combination of oak barrels and stainless steel tanks without sulfur additions during the aging process. A minimal dose of sulfur dioxide is added only at bottling to preserve stability.