Benefits & Loyalty
Domaine Franck Balthazar - Mundovin

Franck Balthazar

The Franck Balthazar wine estate was founded in 1931 by his grandfather Casimir. Its vines are located on some of the finest terroirs in Cornas , and are among the oldest in the appellation. The youngest vines date from 2005 and the...

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The Franck Balthazar wine estate was founded in 1931 by his grandfather Casimir. Its vines are located on some of the finest terroirs in Cornas , and are among the oldest in the appellation. The youngest vines date from 2005 and the oldest from the 1960s. Today, Franck Balthazar has been working alone on his 4 hectares since 2002, except for harvesting and tilling. Everything is done by hand, with a pickaxe or winch, a titanic task that is rewarded by the improved sanitary quality of his grapes.

Franck has several viticultural role models, including Auguste Clape and Thierry Allemand. His wines fall somewhere between the classicism of Auguste Clape and the finesse of Thierry Allemand.

In 2001, he decided to convert to organic farming, and in 2006 to stop treating his vines with phytosanitary products. Only sulfur and copper are still used in homeopathic doses, and only in very rare cases.

In the cellar, winemaking is based on whole-bunch harvesting followed by long maceration. Ageing takes place in demi-muids for 12 to 18 months, depending on the vintage and cuvée. Franck Balthazar limits the use of sulfur in his wines to ensure that the expression of the fruit is as precise as possible.

The cuvées we've been lucky enough to list are the Côtes du Rhône, a juicy, gourmet wine that already reveals the wine estate's style very well. The Cuvée Cornas Casimir, a tribute to his grandfather, who did everything he could to give the Balthazar family and the Cornas appellation a boost. And last but not least, the cuvée Cornas Chaillot , which needs no introduction as this parcel is a Grand Cru in the Cornas appellation.

The wine estate's production is 15,000 bottles, so needless to say, the quantities allocated are very small. As for quality, it's exceptional.

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