Last May, some colleagues and I hoisted ourselves into the back of the Cantin family’s pick-up truck for what was a decidedly bumpy, but ultimately life-affirming ride around the appellation of Irancy. Bobbing atop the cargo bed with Benoît’s son Félicien as our guide, we took in the fresh air, and witnessed first hand the magnificence of this appellation. Irancy, which is planted mostly to Pinot Noir, happens to showcase the same Kimmeridgian limestone soils as Chablis. One of the more splendid lieux-dits we visited was a primely positioned parcel called La Grande Côte, which spreads across a steep, south-facing hillside and produces wines with ageability, structure, and complexity I didn’t expect from this nearly forgotten appellation of northern Burgundy.
     Arriving back at the winery to taste through their lineup, Benoît, who is captain of the local hunting club, had prepared a spread of homemade boar pâté, alongside perfectly ripened Époisses and other hearty snacks. Recalling the views we’d just absorbed, I wasn’t surprised by how good Grande Côte was tasting. It was the most brambly of the bunch, vigorous, and gourmand with sour plum, fig and a touch of smoke. Featuring just a trace of Irancy’s claim to fame, the local César grape, the wine ages in barrel and can easily be cellared for an amount of time beyond what its price would suggest, that is to say, decades.
     To visit the Cantin family in Irancy is to fall in love with them, their charm, their passion, and the contagious spirit they have for making great wines from a lesser-known appellation. Tradition runs deep at this winery that has been passed down from father to son since the mid 1800s. Ask Benoît’s father Bernard what he would have been if not a vigneron, and he says he never even considered the possibility! At 14 years old, he recalls, you would have found him pushing a wheelbarrow behind a horse plow, and he wouldn’t have it any other way.