Vosne-Romanee Les Jachees - Domaine Jean Yves Bizot 2010 Magnum

The estate

Domaine Jean Yves Bizot is a small cult producer of Burgundy wines in the Côte de Nuits. It produces Pinot Noir from several small parcels in the Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru vineyards and in the Echezeaux Grand Cru vineyard. It also produces a small quantity of Chardonnay at the village level and Bourgogne Blanc, and owns parcels 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 takes a very non-interventionist 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 élevage is carried out 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.