Jean Yves Bizot

History of Domaine Jean-Yves Bizot

The estate traces its roots to Jean-Yves Bizot's grandfather, a surgeon at the hospital in Beaune, and then to his father, a paediatrician who set aside the vines in favour of medicine. Once spanning eight hectares, the property was gradually reduced through successive inheritances, with part of the vineyards placed under tenant farming until the 1990s. It was in 1993, at just 27 years of age, that Jean-Yves Bizot took back the family vines and swiftly transformed the Burgundian landscape with his uncompromising vision.

Based in Vosne-Romanée, opposite the former residence of Henri Jayer, he drew inspiration from certain techniques of the master — in particular low pre-fermentation temperatures — while forging a style very much his own. He immediately abandoned herbicides, reduced sulphur and converted his vineyard to organic farming in the early 2000s. In 2007, the estate expanded by one hectare to the north of the Côte, with historic plots in Marsannay and Chenôve. The legendary Vosne-Romanée Vieilles Vignes cuvée came to an end with the 2009 vintage, when a frost of minus twenty-five degrees claimed the oldest vines.

Terroirs and Vines of Domaine Jean-Yves Bizot

The vineyard covers approximately 3.5 hectares, principally in the Vosne-Romanée appellation, on the clay-limestone soils characteristic of the Côte de Nuits. The estate's wealth lies in the exceptional age of its vines, with numerous plots planted before 1960, some as early as the 1930s. To this jewel are added two northern terroirs long underestimated but renowned since the 18th century — Marsannay Clos du Roy and Bourgogne Le Chapitre in Chenôve — as well as precious plots in Échézeaux, on the lieux-dits Les Orveaux and Les Treux, in Flagey.

The reigning grape variety here is Pinot Noir, complemented by a little Chardonnay for the rare white cuvées from Vosne-Romanée and Magny-lès-Villers. The estate is farmed organically, in a spirit close to biodynamics but without any pursuit of dogmatic certification. The soil is worked by hand, the harvest is picked at the rhythm of the living vine, and yields are kept very low — often below 20 hectolitres per hectare — in order to concentrate the full expression of the terroir in every cluster.

Winemaking at Domaine Jean-Yves Bizot

The estate's signature rests on a minimalist and sensitive approach, in which nature guides every decision. The grapes are vinified as whole clusters, without destemming, in truncated conical wooden vats. Fermentation, spontaneous and conducted at low temperature with indigenous yeasts, favours very light extractions reminiscent of infusion, revealing the particular finesse and fragrance so characteristic of Jean-Yves Bizot's wines.

Remarkably, no sulphur is added during vinification and ageing, which is then reduced to the strict minimum. Ageing takes place in new oak barrels from the Tonnellerie Rousseau, after which each wine is bottled by hand, barrel by barrel, without blending, fining or filtration. This non-interventionist philosophy yields wines of exemplary purity — often pale in colour yet of great depth — built for very long cellaring and requiring patience to reveal their full soul.

The cuvées of Domaine Jean-Yves Bizot

Bourgogne Le Chapitre: from a historic lieu-dit in Chenôve, south of Dijon, which produced the commune's prestige cuvée in the 18th century, this red from old vines displays a nobility that far surpasses its appellation. Fine, deep and fragrant, it possesses an ageing ability that surprises enthusiasts.

Marsannay Clos du Roy: a plot of old vines acquired in 2007 in the northern Côte de Nuits, this Pinot Noir, full of freshness and brilliance, reveals fine tannins and a crunchy fruitiness. A wine that brilliantly rehabilitates a long-forgotten terroir.

Vosne-Romanée: the heart-of-the-estate cuvée, it brings together vines planted in the 1930s and 1980s. A delicate ruby colour precedes a nose of cherry, raspberry, violet and spices, while the palate, supple and silky, reveals fine tannins and beautiful minerality. A village wine of great purity, best left to age for a few years.

Vosne-Romanée Les Réas: a village single-vineyard wine of more structured character, it fully expresses the clay-limestone framework of Vosne. A taut, elegant and flavourful wine, endowed with remarkable length and fine ageing potential.

Vosne-Romanée Les Jachées: born just behind the winery on a 0.7-hectare plot with vines planted in 1930, this is the estate's most celebrated cuvée. Of an entrancing complexity, it marries red fruits, floral notes, undergrowth and a hint of animality in a harmony that embodies the full magic of Pinot Noir. A rarity sought after the world over.

Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru cuvée Élise Fermouche: a rare premier cru, produced only in certain years from the Les Treux plot in Échézeaux, declassified when yields do not allow it to be blended into the grand cru. A thoroughbred, chiselled and deep wine, it captivates the most discerning connoisseurs.

Échézeaux Grand Cru: a true jewel of the estate, it comes principally from the lieu-dit Les Orveaux, sometimes supplemented with Les Treux in years of low harvest, for a production of barely a few barrels. A Fine Wine built for long cellaring, of exceptional finesse and depth, it reaches remarkable heights at auction.

Bourgogne Blanc Les Violettes: a rare white from the estate, it comes from a tiny plot of Chardonnay in mass selection in Vosne-Romanée, not far from the Clos de Vougeot. A chiselled, saline and luminous wine, with beautiful tension.

Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Blanc: the second white in the range, it is born from a Chardonnay plot in Magny-lès-Villers. Fresh, floral and easy-drinking, it complements the estate's predominantly red production with charm and personality.