From Burgundy, France, to Retiro, VII Region, Chile

Dominique Lehmann</em> y Fernando Dussaillant

Dominique Lehmann and Fernando Dussaillant Nielsen

Handcrafted Sparkling Wines from the Maule Valley

Domaine Dussaillant Lehmann

Fernando Dussaillant Nielsen is one of the youngest grandchildren of Alexandre Dussaillant Louandre, founder of Viña Casa Blanca (in Lontué and Molina, Chile), who was one of the main viticulturalists in the country in the first half of the 20th century. Fernando spent most of his professional career as a mining engineer and was not involved in the family winegrowing business. He married Dominique Lehmann, whose family was originally from Alsace, France.

In 2004 they purchased a property in the Andean foothills outside the town of Retiro, which they mostly planted with apples. Dominique designed the park around the estate house, featuring a wide variety of trees and flowers.

At that time, there were no vineyards in the area.

For New Year’s Eve 2007, they were given a bottle of French Champagne from Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin. They had never been huge fans of Champagne, but on that occasion they gained a new appreciation for the exquisite elegance of a Grand Cru Champagne. They wondered why Chile, with its optimal soils and climate for producing fine wines, did not have even one high-quality sparkling wine on the level of French Champagne. Their curiosity piqued, they began to explore the issue. An initial comparison of latitudes, climate, and soil quality revealed a number of similarities with the Champagne region. They made contact with French winemakers and grape producers and arranged a technical visit to the Champagne region (Épernay and Reims), followed by the Napa Valley in California. They were well received by all the Champagne houses they visited, where they discussed the various methods and procedures for producing an excellent sparkling wine.

They learned that the secret was to conduct a second fermentation of the cold-climate Chardonnay and Pinot Noir cuvée in the same bottle in which the final product would be sold. The fine bubbles of a good Champagne are generated as a byproduct of this second fermentation in the bottle. This is a long and complicated process: before the product can be sold, the yeast used for the second fermentation must be decanted and removed by hand, one bottle at a time, taking care to preserve the gas inside the bottle.

Based on the climate and soil studies, they decided to take a chance and plant a small vineyard of the same varieties used in France. They also had to purchase the necessary equipment, including a pneumatic press, which is crucial for gently pressing the whole grape clusters without crushing the fruit.

They produced their first sparkling wine in 2012. At first, they made all the mistakes imaginable, but these have been corrected over time, and the wine gets better every year. The Dussaillant Lehmann Brut was awarded a Gold Medal at its first competition.

Alexandre Dussaillant Louandre, founder of Viña Casa Blanca, 1905

The History of the Dussaillant family in the Chilean Wine Industry

The Dussaillants were French immigrants who arrived in Chile in the 1870s, from the Burgundy region of France. They landed first in Maldonado, Uruguay, where they worked in the milling industry for a few years before a fire destroyed their business.

With the help of the Chilean Ambassador in Buenos Aires, they travelled to Chile and set up first in Talca and then in Molina and Lontué, in what is now classified as the VII Region. They bought a few hectares of vineyards and established a bakery, supplying all the large wineries in the region with the bread that, at the time, was traditionally given to workers as part of their daily wage.

The first Dussaillant to settle in Chile was Alexandre Dussaillant Proutet, who died in Talca and is buried in the General Cemetery of Santiago, Chile.

From left to right, standing in the back row: Gastón Dussaillant Grossetète, cardiologist (d. 1966); Vita Nielsen Krause; middle row: Nicole Dussaillant, Alexandre Dussaillant, Henriette Grossetète, and Fernando Dussaillant; seated in front: Alejandro Dussaillant and Vita Dussaillant.

Alexandre and Louis Dussaillant Louandre continued to run the bakery business and over time bought land from their customers (the Errázuriz and Correa families). As their landholdings grew, they became the largest winegrowers in the country, a title they held for 50 years. They imported a number of grape varieties from France. Alejandro later bought out his brother’s share of the business, thereby becoming the largest individual winegrower in the world, under the brand Viña Casa Blanca. He was a member of the International Organization of Vine and Wine (OIV) and was the first winery to export Chilean wines (mainly to the United States). He had a deep love of nature, and he founded and was the majority shareholder of Soc. Agrícola y Forestal Pumalín and the Radal Siete Tazas estate, both of which are now national parks. He died in 1971 and is buried in Santiago.