Vosne-Romanee Vieilles Vignes - Domaine Jean Yves Bizot 2007

The estate

Domaine Jean Yves Bizot is a cult small producer of Burgundy wines 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 Chardonnay at the village and Bourgogne Blanc levels 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 estate’s modern incarnation was established in 1995, when Jean Yves Bizot inherited his family’s winery and vineyards. Bizot was an oenology professor and takes 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 bear information about the individual barrel in which they were aged.