Maison Harbour

Established in 2013, Nicolas & Colleen Harbour are making beautifully crafted wines from their small negocé operation in Savigny.

Whilst creating a serious name for themselves as top tier producers, they hadn’t always foreseen winemaking, let alone in Burgundy, in their futures. Nicolas is American and Colleen Canadian. Both sets of parents travelled a lot for work, which saw both families relocating to Luxembourg. This is where Nicolas and Colleen first met, whilst at high school. Despite going back to their respective countries to study at university, they stayed together and spent as much time in Europe as possible. It was one of their trips, to Prague, that changed their trajectory entirely. Over a long dinner and a wine pairing served by a knowledgeable sommelier, the couple shared a special moment. 

They both moved back to Luxembourg and began learning more about wine in their spare time. Fortunately, Nicolas’s parents had bought a small home in Savigny-les-Beaune about a decade before and so Colleen and Nic began visiting Burgundy more and more frequently. The pivotal move finally happened in 2011 when they moved to Burgundy, before finding their own property in 2013. Meanwhile, Nic enrolled at Beaune university and interned at Genot-Boulanger, before working for Domaine Pavelot while Colleen was at Maison Champy. Whilst both working full time, they were also working hard to source quality fruit and to launch Maison Harbour. They were able to do so in 2013 with fruit from Gevrey, Vosne-Romanee and Chassagne.

Grapes are purchased from the couple's contacts throughout Burgundy, ranging from organic to lutte raisonnée. Their focus is all about showcasing the terroir, thus working with native yeasts, little to no punch downs and measured new oak. The resulting wines are pure and precise: the whites striking that perfect balance of richness of fruit and bright minerality, whilst the reds are sapid with vibrant fruit and great finesse.