Numa Cornut
numa cornut
A ninth-generation winemaker from the southern Rhône who redirected his career toward Burgundy — and built a small domaine from the ground up on the strength of what he found there.
Owner/Winemaker, Numa Cornut
Numa Cornut is a ninth-generation winemaker from the southern Rhône. His family’s winery, Château Guiot, is managed by his twin brother Alexis, and Numa spent his twenties there, learning the trade before leaving the family vineyard to expand his winemaking horizons.
He found his way to Burgundy gradually. Years working across France — Bordeaux, Languedoc, Châteauneuf-du-Pape — and a on-going connection with Margaret River in Australia. Today, his winemaking is particularly informed by his deep French winemaking roots and his time in Australia.
The decisive shift came in 2018, when a meeting with a Beaune-based winemaker changed his thinking about where he wanted to work. By the end of 2020, he had settled in Burgundy and started assembling Domaine Numa Cornut from leased and owned parcels across the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits — about 4.5 hectares total, with village, premier cru, and grand cru appellations.
Farming and Winemaking
Numa Cornut farms sustainably with minimal input in the vineyard and close attention to what each site is doing. In the cellar, the approach is equally restrained. He works with indigenous yeasts where possible, keeps new oak to a minimum, and doesn't filter. Élevage isn't governed by a schedule; the wines move when they're ready.
The 500L François Frères M+ barrels he uses are neutral enough to preserve aromatic detail. He particularly likes the larger-sized barrels to add texture without overwhelming the wines with oakiness.
Bligny-lès-Beaune — Côte de Beaune
The Bourgogne Chardonnay and Bourgogne Pinot Noir — both come from Bligny-lès-Beaune, a village in the Côte de Beaune just south of Beaune itself. The soils are clay-limestone, the same geology that runs through the appellation's most celebrated white wine sites.
Numa Cornut is available through K&N Wine Company. Contact us for wholesale pricing and availability.
