Domaine Laurent Cognard 

Laurent Cognard, son and grandson of cooperative winegrowers, began domaine bottling his family's wines in 1997, returning each year for harvest while working as a wine seller in Lyon and Paris. In 2006 Laurent returned permanently, and was one of the first to leave the cooperatives, and he became a pioneer of the Montagny!

The Domaine farms 26 acres of vines in the appellations of Montagny, Mercurey, and Pouilly-Loché. The specialty of the domaine is white wine, though he also produces a small amount of Mercurey rouge. He uses the strengths of reasoned and organic farming to obtain the most balanced grape possible when it returns to the cellar.

The region of Côte Chalonnaise extends 15.5 miles from the southern end of the Côte d'Or to the Mâconnais in the south. Mercurey is one of the most important appellations in Bourgogne, and one of five main villages in the Côte Chalonnaise permitted to produce red, white, and rosé. It is one of the best-known appellations in the Côte Chalonnaise and is famous for its Pinot Noir which at its best can rival the reds of the Côte de Beaune. Clos du Paradis 1er Cru sits just outside of the small commune of St-Martin-sous-Montaigu.