Jean-Yves Bizot is a Vosne-Romanee based vigneron armed with a PhD in oenology and geology. Producing iconic wines that have certainly captured the imagination of connoisseurs and collectors around the globe in recent years.
Originally owned by his grandfather, Domaine Bizot was, in essence, brought back to life in 1995 by Jean-Yves when he took over the running of the winery. A passionate winemaker with a keen eye for history, Jean-Yves is a big fan of the wines from the 1950s and 1960s but is less enamoured with the wines that Burgundy produced thereafter. Being one of the smaller domaines in Vosne- Romanée at just 3.5 hectares, Jean-Yves took over the Domaine that his family had been renting out most of its vineyards to other growers as his father was a full-time paediatrician at the hospital in Beaune and did not produce any wine himself.
According to Jean-Yves, the first thing he did once getting into the wine maker’s shoes was to “unlearn” everything he learnt at school. He adopted a very minimalist winemaking approach.
All the Domaine’s wines are vinified as whole cluster and the fermentation is done in wooden vats at as low temperature as possible. He uses in most cases no sulfur at all (according to him, sulfur was not used at all in Burgundy before the 1970s). His first vintage without sulfur was 1998. All the wines from all appellations (from generic Burgogne to the Grand Cru) are aged in 100% new oak. In a “normal” vintage, this 3.5 hectare Domaine produces 10,000 bottles of all its appellations combined. In a less fortunate vintages (as 2010, 2012) – the total production falls to a mere 5,000 bottles.
Although located in Vosne-Romanée (2,5 ha under vines are that commune), few of the Domaine’s famous vineyards recently added (1 ha) are located in the north of the Côte: Marsannay (where the Marsannay Rouge “Clos du Roy” comes from) and Bourgogne “Le Chapitre” (one of the only 5 lieu-dits Bourgogne in Burgundy) come from a vineyard just south of Dijon (interestingly, this wine is priced at other Domaines’ village or even 1er cru price level).
The only Grand Cru the domaine produces is Echezeaux, and the production is just five barrels.
The entire production is bottled by hand, barrel by barrel.
