The domaine you won’t want to miss: Bruno Lorenzon

For the Wine Advocate’s William Kelley, “one of the best addresses in contemporary Burgundy” lies not on the prestigious slopes of the Cote d’Or but in the Cote Chalonnaise. Here, in the small village of Mercurey, Bruno Lorenzon crafts standout wines from often overlooked appellations. These are brilliant wines which surpass many more famous names from grander appellations.

Bruno Lorenzon is much more ambitious than most in the Cote Chalonnaise. His wines are the result of distinctive production methods. He trains his vines high at up to 1.8m, and uses high density planting of 14,000-20,000 vines per hectare. This makes for very labour-intensive viticulture, requiring an incredible 750 man hours per hectare, but gives low yields and exceptional intensity of flavour.

In the winery, macerations are long to ensure gentle extraction. The wines spend much longer maturing than is usual in this region, with 12-20 months in barrel followed by another 4-6 months in tank. Lorenzon is particularly skilled in matching oak to cuvee; he trained as a cooper before setting up his winery and still takes an active involvement in producing the barrels.

The 2023 vintage is the latest in a string of successful years for Lorenzon. The warm temperatures here as elsewhere in Burgundy meant that the grapes were harvested with good ripeness. Lorenzon‘s meticulous work in the vineyard ensured yield control and excellent levels of concentration.

These are outstanding wines which transcend their appellations. As Kelley puts it, “there are very few estates in the Côte d’Or operating on Lorenzon‘s level today”. We recommend them very highly indeed.

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