Vosne-Romanée Les Jachées - Domaine Jean Yves Bizot 2011

The estate

Domaine Jean Yves Bizot is a small, cult Burgundy wine producer in the Côte de Nuits. It produces Pinot Noir from several small plots in the Vosne-Romanée premier cru vineyards and the Echezeaux grand cru vineyard. It also produces a small amount of village-level Chardonnay and Bourgogne Blanc, and owns plots in Marsannay and Bourgogne Chapitre. The estate covers just over three hectares (eight acres). Domaine Jean Yves Bizot's production is very small, with fewer than 1,000 cases produced per year.

The modern incarnation of the estate was established in 1995, when Jean Yves Bizot inherited his family’s cellar and vineyards. Bizot was a professor of oenology and follows a very low-intervention approach to winemaking.

The grapes are neither destemmed nor pressed, but fermented as whole clusters. Temperatures are kept low, and fermentation takes place in conical wooden vats for 14 to 20 days. The aging takes place in small new French oak barrels for all the wines, from Bourgogne Rouge to grand cru, and lasts 15 to 20 months. None of the wines are racked, and all are bottled by hand, barrel by barrel, without fining or filtration - the labels provide information about the individual barrel in which they were aged.