Domaine Bizot
Burgundy
Côte de Nuits
It’s hard to think of any domaine smaller than Domaine Bizot. In a normal vintage, this 3.5 ha domaine produces 10,000 bottles across all its appellations combined. In less fortunate vintages, such as 2010 and 2012, total production falls to a mere 5,000 bottles.
What makes this domaine so special, giving it cult status, is the philosophy of its owner and winemaker, Jean-Yves Bizot. A former geologist turned oenologist, Bizot began working at the domaine in 1993, with his first vintage in 1995. He emphasizes the importance of unlearning what he had learned in school, adopting a very minimalist winemaking approach. All the domaine’s wines are vinified as whole clusters, with fermentation taking place in wooden vats at as low a temperature as possible. In most cases, he uses no sulfur at all, noting that sulfur was not commonly used in Burgundy before the 1970s. His first vintage without sulfur was in 1998. All wines, from the generic Bourgogne to the Grand Cru, are aged in 100% new oak.
Although located in Vosne-Romanée (with 2.5 ha under vines in that commune), a few of the domaine’s famous vineyards (recently added 1 ha) are located in the north of the Côte: Marsannay, from which the Marsannay Rouge Clos du Roy is produced, and Bourgogne Le Chapitre, one of only five Lieu-Dits Bourgogne in Burgundy, which comes from a vineyard just south of Dijon. Interestingly, this wine is priced similarly to other domaines’ village or even 1er Cru wines.
The only Grand Cru the domaine produces is Échézeaux, with a production of just five barrels. The entire production is bottled by hand, barrel by barrel.
These wines are built for long aging and require time to open up if drank too early.
