Domaine Hubert Lamy
Burgundy
Côte de Beaune
It is hard to think of a more passionate, knowledgeable, and hardworking winemaker than Olivier Lamy. The family and the domaine are located in the village of Saint-Aubin, just a short distance from the domaine’s extensive array of vineyards spread around the villages of Chassagne-Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet, and Saint-Aubin. There are records of the Lamy family growing vines since 1640! Olivier gained experience at Domaine Méo-Camuzet in Vosne-Romanée before taking over the family domaine from his father, Hubert.
Olivier has gained tremendous experience working in the vineyards and adapts his knowledge to how he plants, cares for, and treats his vines. Saint-Aubin is a great white Burgundy appellation to watch. In an ever-changing world, the cooler climate of Saint-Aubin, with its large combe and valley that brings in cool air from the western forested hills, keeps this area fresher compared to the great appellations that house most of the famous Grand Crus.
Among Olivier’s exciting philosophies is the planting of high-density (haute densité) vineyards, which he believes allows them to capture more from their terroir. The first vineyard planted this way in 2000 was the top part of the Saint-Aubin 1er Cru “Derrière Chez Edouard,” with the planting of 28,000 and later 30,000 vines per hectare—three times the normal planting density, effectively requiring three times the work to produce the same amount of wine. Not surprisingly, the result is overwhelming, and this wine has enormous depth and dimension.
The majority of the domaine’s vineyards consist of stony, limestone-based soil, with a thin layer of 10-30 cm of topsoil, and have a favorable southeast exposure.
Olivier was one of the first winemakers in Côte de Beaune to favor the use of larger barrels, and in the cellar, there are many 350 and 600-liter barrels. Yields are kept low, and following intensive work in the vineyards, the harvested crop passes through a sorting table before being transferred to stainless steel fermentation tanks. The winemaking is traditional, and the wines are aged in 0-15% new oak (with an average of 10%) for 18-24 months before bottling.
While the backbone of this fine domaine is the stunning wines from Saint-Aubin, the jewel in the crown is its tiny holding in Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet, located just above the vines of Leroy’s Domaine d’Auvenay.
Olivier’s wines are classic, refined, pure, and mineral, and each one reflects its respective terroir.
