Sextant ‘La Fleur au Verre’

Sextant ‘La Fleur au Verre’ from Julien Altaber (now vigneron of Domaine Derain) based in St. Aubin, Burgundy.

An initial flinty smokiness on the nose lifts to reveal citrus fruit, a prickle of lemon and limes, with a touch of malolactic butteriness.

Ripe, round, and fuller-bodied on the palate, the wine coats the mouth with a creamy texture. Following this, a refreshing balancing acidity keeps things fresh. Mineral finish, the wine stays with you with it’s fresh acidity and a touch of salinity.

For Sextant ‘La Fleur au Verre’ the grapes are sourced from Damien Gressard in Côte Chalonnaise, just a stone’s throw south from St. Aubin. He also farms a parcel of 90 year-old Aligoté vines and sources fruit from organic growers in Beaune and Beaujolais. Fermentation begins in stainless steel at ambient temperatures with indigenous yeasts. Altaber then ‘winters’ the wines to mature in old oak during the cooler months.

For Julien, Sextant is a project in which he has the freedom to experiment, cooking up ‘…special cuvées, pet nats, skins, fun and non-traditional wines’, an alternative to the famous names and crus of Burgundy.