Introduction: Founded in 2013 by Céline Brocard — who grew up at Jean-Marc Brocard's estate — and her husband Frédéric, Domaine Gueguen has quickly become one of the most respected small producers in the greater Chablis area. The Côtes Salines is their calling card value wine, grown on the same Kimmeridgian limestone that defines Chablis itself, just outside the official appellation boundary. It drinks well above its classification and price point.

Terroir: Primarily from southwest-facing vines south of Préhy (~80%), with roughly 20% from around Saint-Bris, planted on classic Kimmeridgian limestone — the ancient marine fossil-rich subsoil that runs beneath all the great Chablis vineyards. The name says it all: Côtes Salines means "salty slopes," and the mineral salinity from these soils is the wine's defining characteristic. Vines average 30 years old at 7,800 per hectare.

Appearance: Pale lemon yellow with bright green highlights, clear and luminous in the glass.

Nose: Fresh, wide, and perfumed, with green apple, white pear, citrus zest, and a delicate lift of white flowers and almond. A clean iodine-edged minerality gives the bouquet precision and depth. Burgundy Report's Bill Nanson tasted the 2024 in February 2026 and called it "a wide, perfumed embrace — lovely."

Palate: Medium-bodied and mouthwatering, with silky texture and lively acidity. Flavors of green apple, white peach, lemon curd, and citrus peel are driven by stony, architectural minerality — present and intense without being hard. Ten months on fine lees add a subtle roundness that fills out the frame. Nanson described it as "precise, intense and long — top Bourgogne, and the Chablis style is obvious here."

Finish: Persistently saline and mineral, fading with citrus pith and a clean stony dryness that is textbook Kimmeridgian. Genuinely thirst-inducing.

Food Pairings:
🥩 Meat: Pan-seared scallops with lemon butter, poached halibut, or roast chicken with a light cream and herb sauce.
🥦 Vegetarian: Goat cheese and tomato risotto, white asparagus with a light vinaigrette, or a spring herb and fennel salad.
🧀 Charcuterie Board: Fresh chèvre, Chaource, smoked salmon rillettes, cornichons, and sourdough crackers.

Overall Impression: The 2024 Côtes Salines is a benchmark value in white Burgundy — Chablis in spirit, Bourgogne in price. Clean, mineral, and deeply satisfying, it demonstrates exactly what Kimmeridgian terroir can deliver outside the appellation boundary. Serve at 50–54°F; drink now through 2027–2028.

Alcohol by Volume (ABV %): 12.5%
Farming Practices: HVE Level 3 certified sustainable viticulture; 30-year-old vines; double Guyot training; 7,800 vines/hectare; raisonnée farming (organic certification paused in 2024 to protect yields)
Producer Name: Domaine Céline et Frédéric Gueguen
Old World / New World: Old World
Country of Origin: France
Region: Bourgogne Côtes d'Auxerre AOC, Burgundy
Grape Varietals: Chardonnay 100%
Vintage:2024
Wine Style: Dry White — Light to medium-bodied, lean and mineral in the Chablis style. No oak, high acidity, pronounced saline finish. More tension and precision than richness. White Winemaking Techniques: Mechanical harvest; direct pressing; fermentation with natural yeasts in stainless steel; 100% malolactic fermentation; 10 months on fine lees in tank; no oak
Pack Size: 750ml
Container Style: Glass bottle
Closure Style: DIAM technical cork