The Vineyard

Cromey ‘Le Clos’ Monopole

The Domaine de Cromey is located in the heart of Burgundy, home of Elden Selections and burgundywine.com. When you stay with us, you stay among the vines. Learn about our vineyard and wine production.

When we first began the restoration of Cromey back in 2014, we knew that there was a 7-acre plot above the property that had, long ago, been planted in vines. The land was covered in a scrub forest, and springs from the top of the hill ran like a shallow river across the surface. Our dream was to create a unique and beautiful place for our clients to come and stay, set among the vines of Burgundy.

The Manor House was lovingly restored in 2 years, but the Vineyard was a different story. We knew French rules for viticulture and viniculture were complicated and that it would take time.

But we saw the old stakes, so we knew it had been a vineyard. And on the land plat, the parcel was called ‘Le Clos’. The locals call Cromey ‘the chateau’.  But it was never really a chateau.  It was an important manor house farm for the Chateau de Dracy across the valley.  And it was in its day a major wine producer, witnessed by the magnificent wine press in what is now the dining room, the vast vaulted cellars, and outbuildings that held old barrels, vats, and antique winemaking equipment.

We did not need much convincing to start the restoration project of the Cromey vines.  But we had no idea how complicated the preparation of the land would be, nor what a labyrinth of French regulations faced us when we were ready to plant.

The most dramatic work was actually the easiest to accomplish. Fell the forest, remove the stumps, clear the land, divert the springs, prepare the slopes for vines: in a wine region like Burgundy, there are lots of qualified contractors.  And the fact that we know many winemakers in the immediate area helped us make those initial, crucial, first decisions. 

But then, who would plant the vineyard, manage it and make the wine? In France, that relationship is not a simple employer-employee affair.  Farmers’ rights are highly protected and regulated.  And to enter into a lease of any kind requires a long-term contract and essentially a lifetime commitment.

We met the Domaine AMI via one of our neighbors, the Domaine Chevrot, a highly regarded organic wine producer in a nearby village. Willy and Paul, the owners of AMI, a recently-formed wine production in the village next to Cromey, were keen to work with us for several reasons.  The Cromey vineyard is a single 7-acre plot called ‘Le Clos,’ a substantial single parcel vineyard by Burgundian standards. It has never had chemical or synthetic products used on it, so it is an organic farmer’s dream.  In addition, the vineyard is at a higher elevation than much of the rest of Burgundy’s vineyards, and that, as vintages get hotter due to climate change, has become very important to a new generation of winemakers here. We chose them to make our wine.

The next step was to plant. Or so we thought! In France, between being ready to plant and planting comes the ‘droit de plantation’.  You need the ‘right to plant’ before you can do anything, and that is dictated (in a very literal sense) by FranceAgriMer, a branch of the French administration that controls who can plant what, when, and where. 

We were at the mercy of their decision. The wait seemed interminable. Paul and Willy, being young winemakers just getting established, ostensibly had a fast track. But would we get all, part, or none of our request? In France, you learn to wait.

Eventually, the plantation rights came through for the entire vineyard, but, of course, we had to wait until the following year to do the physical planting.

So in 2019, the 7 acres of Domaine de Cromey ‘Le Clos’ were planted, a third in Pinot Noir and two-thirds in Chardonnay. There can be no harvest of the vines until year 3 (which usually yield a small crop), and it’s really in year four that the vines give a proper yield. So, there was a small harvest in 2022.  Enough chardonnay to produce the first cuvee of Cromey ‘Le Clos’ Bourgogne Blanc Monople. And so we are pleased to announce the rebirth of the Domaine de Cromey vineyard and pleased to present it on burgundywine.com