Les Jardins Vivants - Tino Kuban

History of Domaine Les Jardins Vivants (Tino Kuban)

The story of this wine estate begins in 2018, when Tino Kuban, a young Berlin-born winemaker, settled in Meursault in the heart of Burgundy. Before making his home on the Côte de Beaune, he honed his skills at some of the world’s most exacting producers: Mullineux in South Africa; Felton Road and Sato in New Zealand; Domaine Pierre Overnoy and La Tournelle in Jura; and Dard & Ribo in the Rhône Valley. This remarkable path prepared him to take over the legacy of Bernard Van Berg, a cult figure known for meticulous viticulture and exceptionally low yields.

In 2019, Tino Kuban produced his first vintage and renamed the estate Domaine Les Jardins Vivants, a name that sums up his philosophy: making each parcel a living ecosystem. At the same time, he launched Maison Glandien, a small-scale négociant project based in Meursault that allows him to make wine from grapes grown by trusted producers in Burgundy, Beaujolais, Jura and Alsace. Within a few years, he became a rising star of Burgundy’s natural wine scene, celebrated for the purity, precision and profound expression of terroir in his wines.

Terroirs and vines of Domaine Les Jardins Vivants (Tino Kuban)

The terroir of Domaine Les Jardins Vivants centers on very old vines in the Meursault appellation, on ancient Burgundian slopes. All the vines are trained on individual stakes, a traditional method that encourages deep rooting in the clay-limestone soils of the Côte de Beaune. The entire vineyard is certified organic and receives some biodynamic treatments each year as the estate works toward full biodynamic certification.

Standards in the vineyard are exceptionally rigorous: the vines are braided rather than trimmed, and ground cover is left intact from April onward to preserve soil diversity and protect the grapes until harvest. Tino Kuban deliberately limits each vine to four clusters, resulting in exceptionally low yields, often between 5 and 10 hectoliters per hectare. This pursuit of concentration and optimal phenolic ripeness explains both the extreme rarity of the cuvées and their distinctive aromatic intensity.

Winemaking at Domaine Les Jardins Vivants (Tino Kuban)

Winemaking at Domaine Les Jardins Vivants takes a natural, minimalist approach to its furthest extreme. Grapes are harvested by hand in two to four passes per parcel, early in the morning while they are cool, and always later than average to achieve full phenolic ripeness. The white grapes are foot-trodden and then pressed in a vertical press, with little or no settling of the juice.

The red wines are fermented as whole clusters (100% whole-cluster fruit) in new Austrian Stockinger barrels, with long macerations and frequent punch-downs to extract maximum body and depth. They are aged without racking or any addition of sulfur until bottling, which takes place directly from the barrel. Every step relies on gravity in a cellar designed to treat the wine with the utmost care. This artisanal approach produces cuvées of remarkable finesse, tension and length—the hallmarks of the house style.

The cuvées of Domaine Les Jardins Vivants (Tino Kuban)

Les Vaux Blanc: a blend of Chardonnay, Aligoté and Pinot Gris from old vines in Meursault. Vibrant, saline and taut, with a lively, mineral palate, this cuvée embodies the estate’s spirit. An Aligoté Les Vaux and a Réserve version are also made in certain vintages.

Les Reipes Blanc: a fine Chardonnay white wine, generous yet precise, recognized for its balance and depth. A longer-aged Les Reipes Réserve cuvée complements this flagship parcel.

Les Magnies Blanc: a single-parcel Chardonnay of great purity, both crystalline and energetic, with a lovely, lingering mineral finish. There is also an even rarer Les Magnies Réserve cuvée.

Les Échalas: an emblematic cuvée from vines trained on individual stakes, made as a white (Chardonnay) and, depending on the year, a red. The white stands out for its purity and tension; the red for its elegant firmness and finely sculpted tannins.

Les Gouttes Blanc: a rare white wine produced in very small quantities from exceptionally low yields, sought after for its finesse and vibrant character.

En Buzigny: a cuvée made as both a white and a Réserve red. The red, made from Pinot Noir harvested in several small passes, fermented with a high proportion of whole clusters using native yeasts and aged in Stockinger barrels, offers depth and refinement.

En Belle Rose Rouge: despite its name, this is a delicate Pinot Noir red and one of the estate’s signature wines. It reveals elegant red-fruit aromas, subtle floral notes, a silky palate with fine tannins and remarkable length.

Les Gamets Rouge: a generous, lively Gamay cuvée from Monthélie that brings an accessible, fruity touch to the range while maintaining the estate’s exacting standards.

Aligoté Vieilles Vignes: a cuvée praised by tasters for its phenomenal length, body and near-perfect tension, and compared with Burgundy’s greatest Aligotés.

L’Ouverture Blanc (Maison Glandien): produced under Tino Kuban’s négociant label, this Aligoté, made from grapes from Cheilly and Saint-Martin, offers a more accessible introduction to his wines, with a floral, citrusy and refreshing profile.