Label: Maison Skyaasen
Vintage: 2023
Fruit: Aligoté
Region: Burgundy, France
ABV: 11.5%

romance / good sex / music / ruling the world

The story of Skyaasen unfolds like a modern Burgundian fable. Joachim, a Norwegian native who traded a high-stakes finance career for a singular winemaking obsession, didn't seek out a grand château. Instead, he founded a micro-négoce in the most traditional sense: working out of a modest, humid cellar tucked beneath a family home in Meursault.

Wine became a hobby for Joachim in the late 2000s, and whilst he was exposed to many wines from all over, he developed a particular affinity for the traditions, culture and history of Burgundy. Following a few trips as a tourist and closely following the burgeoning scene of young negoce winemakers he made the decision to participate in harvest in 2017 with local producer Nick Harbour, an experience that would end up completely changing the course of his and his family's life.

This set in motion a series of events, including enrolling in viticulture and oenology school, getting employed by biodynamic estate Chandon de Briailles, and of course the start of his own winemaking journey. 

Joachim works only with grapes grown organically, all coming from friends vineyards across the Côte d’Or. He makes wine with minimal intervention, only adding SO2 at bottling when necessary. 

The result: wines with complexity, precision, and a gorgeous expression of terroir - you can really taste his deep love and understanding of Burgundy with every sip. Joachim's progression as a winemaker is absolutely astounding and incredibly impressive & these wines are an absolute standout despite the relative youth of the project. 

The 2023s possess a shimmering, cool-climate luminosity. They are wines of perfume and lace rather than muscle and oak. On the palate, they offer a transparency of terroir that is frankly startling. -Labelle Wines