Les Jardins Vivants - Tino Kuban

History of Domaine Les Jardins Vivants (Tino Kuban)

The history of this wine estate begins in 2018, when Tino Kuban, a young winemaker born in Berlin, settled in Meursault at the heart of Burgundy. Before making his home on the Côte de Beaune, he honed his expertise at some of the most demanding estates on the planet: Mullineux in South Africa, Felton Road and Sato in New Zealand, Domaine Pierre Overnoy and La Tournelle in the Jura, and Dard & Ribo in the Rhône Valley. This exceptional journey prepared him to take on the legacy of Bernard Van Berg, a cult figure in painstaking viticulture and very low yields.

In 2019, Tino Kuban produced his first vintage and renamed the estate Les Jardins Vivants, a name that sums up his philosophy: making every parcel a living ecosystem. At the same time, he launched Maison Glandien, a micro-négociant project based in Meursault that allows him to vinify grapes sourced from trusted growers in Burgundy, the Beaujolais, the Jura and Alsace. Having become in just a few years a true rising star on the Burgundian natural wine scene, he is celebrated for the purity, precision and profound terroir expression of his wines.

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

The terroir of Les Jardins Vivants focuses on very old vines located in the Meursault appellation, on ancient Burgundian hillsides. All the vines are trained on individual stakes, a traditional trellising method that keeps each plant on its own post and encourages deep rooting in the clay-limestone soils of the Côte de Beaune. The entire vineyard, certified organic, also benefits from a few biodynamic treatments each year, as the estate moves towards full biodynamic certification.

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

Winemaking at Domaine Les Jardins Vivants (Tino Kuban)

Winemaking at Les Jardins Vivants follows a natural and minimalist approach taken to its extreme. Harvesting is done by hand, carried out in two to four passes per parcel, early in the morning when the grapes are cool, and always later than average in order to achieve perfect 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 vinified as whole clusters (100% whole-bunch harvest) in new Austrian Stockinger barrels, with long macerations and numerous punch-downs designed to extract the maximum amount of matter and depth. The ageing takes place without racking, with no addition of sulphur until bottling, which is carried out directly from the barrel. All work is done by gravity, in a cellar designed to respect the wine in its entirety. This artisanal winemaking produces cuvées of remarkable finesse, tension and length — hallmarks of the house's 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. It is a vibrant, saline and taut cuvée, with a lively and mineral palate, embodying the spirit of the estate. An Aligoté Les Vaux version and a Réserve version also exist depending on the vintage.

Les Reipes Blanc: a Fine Wine Chardonnay, ample and precise, recognised for its balance and depth. A Les Reipes Réserve cuvée, aged for longer, completes this flagship parcel.

Les Magnies Blanc: a single-parcel Chardonnay of great purity, both crystalline and energetic, with a beautiful mineral length. A Les Magnies Réserve cuvée, even rarer, also exists.

Les Échalas: an emblematic cuvée drawn from vines trained on individual stakes, produced in both white (Chardonnay) and red depending on the year. The white stands out for its directness and tension, the red for its elegant firmness and chiselled tannins.

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

En Buzigny: a cuvée produced in both white and red Réserve. The red, crafted from Pinot Noir harvested in successive passes, fermented with a high proportion of whole clusters on indigenous yeasts and aged in Stockinger barrels, offers depth and refinement.

En Belle Rose Rouge: despite its name, this is a delicate red wine made from Pinot Noir, one of the estate's signatures. It reveals elegant aromas of red fruits, subtle floral notes, a silky palate with fine tannins and a remarkable length.

Les Gamets Rouge: a Gamay cuvée from Monthélie, indulgent and crunchy, bringing a fruity and approachable touch to the range while maintaining the estate's exacting standards.

Aligoté Vieilles Vignes: a cuvée acclaimed by tasters for its phenomenal length, substance and near-perfect tension, compared to the greatest Aligoté wines of Burgundy.

L'Ouverture Blanc (Maison Glandien): under Tino Kuban's négociant label, this Aligoté (grapes from Cheilly and Saint-Martin) offers a more accessible entry point into his world, with a floral, citrusy and refreshing profile.