Winery

Lou Dumont was founded in 2000 by Japanese Koji Nakata and his Korean wife in Nuits-Saint-Georges, Bourgogne, France, and has since moved to Gevrey-Chambertin. Mr Nakata, who is highly regarded in Japan as the ‘Godfather of Japanese Burgundy’, was born in Okayama, between Hiroshima and Osaka. Originally a sommelier at a French restaurant in Japan, Mr Nakata's passion for Burgundy Burgundy wines led him to leave his well-paid job and travel to Burgundy to learn about winemaking and grape growing, and after more than two decades of hard work, he finally made a name for himself.

The Crémant de Bourgogne label is probably Koji Nakata's most interesting label. His original image is actually a combination of aluminium bottle tops from various wineries, so make sure to admire his labels as you taste them.

Region

Crémant de Bourgogne is an AOC wine made in Burgundy using traditional methods. It is made mainly from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes, but can also be made from other white and red grape varieties such as Aligoté and Gamay. Clément de Bourgogne Sparkling Wine received its AOC (Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée) recognition in 1975, but its traditional history of sparkling winemaking dates back to the 17th century.

Winemaking

Established in 2000, Koji Nakata produces around 70 barrels (20,000 bottles) a year and is known for its handcrafted brewing, with a focus on the character of each wine.

A good alternative to Champagne is Cremant, which is also made using the traditional method (secondary fermentation in the bottle), but at a surprisingly affordable price. 

When you think of French sparkling wines, most of them immediately come to mind as ‘Champagne’. In fact, Champagne is only a sparkling wine made in the Champagne region using the Traditional Method.

For wineries outside the Champagne region, even if they make their wines in the same way as Champagne, they cannot be labelled as Champagne. This was so unfair to the many wineries that made good sparkling wines but were not legally recognised as such, that the INAO, the official regional organisation, initiated the use of the name Cremant plus the name of the region of France to denote sparkling wines made by the Traditional Method.