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One of Burgundy’s top winemakers is striking out on his own. Pierre Vincent, the respected general manager at Domaine Leflaive since 2017, has announced that he will leave at the end of the year to pursue his own project, Domaine Pierre Vincent.
Vincent purchased Domaine des Terres de Velle in Auxey-Duresses in July 2023 with friends Hervé Kratiroff and Eric Versini of Solexia Group, renaming it Domaine Pierre Vincent. The sale price was undisclosed.
Founded in 2009, Terres de Velle owns 17.29 acres of Côte de Beaune vineyards in 16 different appellations. Most notable among them is the grand cru Corton-Charlemagne and premiers crus Chassagne-Montrachet Les Chaumées, Puligny-Montrachet Les Referts, Meursault Les Charmes and Savigny-lès-Beaune Aux Vergelesses for whites and Volnay Le Ronceret and Monthélie Les Duresses for reds.
“My desire is to position the domaine as ‘haute couture artisan,’” Vincent told Wine Spectator. “The plant material is exceptional. The average age of the vines is 58 years—the oldest vines are 95 years old—and the majority of vines are pruned in Cordon de Royat. Even [vineyard consultant] Marco Simonit is surprised by the quality of the vines. This domaine is frankly a completely unknown rarity.”
Part of that anonymity stems from the fact that the Terres de Velle wines were never exported. “Concerning the distribution of wines, it will be completely changed and turned toward export,” said Vincent. His team will start from scratch under the new label from the 2023 vintage.
He also intends to convert the vineyards to biodynamic farming, a philosophy he followed as technical director of Domaine de la Vougeraie from 2006 to 2016 and at Domaine Leflaive since 2017. In the cellar, Vincent’s goal is to allow both the fruit and terroir to shine, which translates to minimal intervention and the conservative use of new oak. Given Vincent’s experience and the Domaine’s holdings, this is an estate to watch.
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