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Why Did Romanée-Conti’s Co-Director Build His Own Domaine in This Village? — Bouzeron

Burgundy, Through One Map

Why Did Romanée-Conti's Co-Director Build His Own Domaine in This Village? — Bouzeron

Watercolour panorama of a modest stone cellar in Bouzeron, Côte Chalonnaise, Burgundy

In the Côte Chalonnaise, at the southern edge of the ground this series has covered, just west of the town of Chagny, lies a small village called Bouzeron. Among the hundreds of vineyard and village names that fill the map of Burgundy, few people have ever heard of this one. But in 1971, one man built a domaine of his own here. That man had served as co-director of a vineyard in the Côte de Nuits, Romanée-Conti, for nearly half a century — Aubert de Villaine. Why did he choose this village, tucked away in a corner of the map?

ItemDetails
VillageBouzeron — Côte Chalonnaise
Principal grape varietyAligoté (white)
AppellationBouzeron (village AOC) — the only village appellation in Burgundy reserved solely for Aligoté
Milestone years1971 (Aubert de Villaine builds a domaine of his own in this village) / February 17, 1998 (the village AOC “Bouzeron” is recognized) / 2007 (the association leading the campaign for World Heritage status for the Climats is founded, with Villaine as its first president) / July 4, 2015 (“The Climats, Terroirs of Burgundy” is inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site)
For referenceVillaine also served as co-director of a vineyard in the Côte de Nuits, Romanée-Conti, for nearly half a century

A Village Since the Middle Ages, and a Grape That Never Took the Lead

Records of vines planted in Bouzeron reach back to the Middle Ages, when it is said that monks of the Abbey of Cluny worked this land. Yet for a long time, the white grape grown here, Aligoté, never took center stage in Burgundy. It was treated only as one variety within the broad regional appellation, and had never once had a village-level appellation of its own.

The Village Chosen by a Man Who Led a Vineyard for Nearly Half a Century

In 1971, Aubert de Villaine, together with his American wife, Pamela, built a domaine of his own in this village. Villaine served as co-director of a vineyard in the Côte de Nuits, Romanée-Conti, for nearly half a century. What he chose was not the Côte de Nuits, lined with Grand Cru vineyards, but this Aligoté village, set apart at the southern edge of the map of Burgundy. The couple saw potential in the match between the limestone slopes of this land and the Aligoté grape, and devoted themselves to its cultivation. Their effort bore fruit: on February 17, 1998, “Bouzeron” was recognized as the only village appellation in Burgundy dedicated solely to Aligoté. It was the moment a grape that had only ever been one variety within a regional appellation finally had a village’s name attached to it.

From One Village to the Heritage of All Burgundy

Even as he built up his own domaine in Bouzeron, Villaine took on a larger task as well. In 2007, an association was founded to preserve Burgundy’s vineyard “climats” — its individually delimited vineyard parcels — as a heritage for humanity’s future, and Villaine became its first president. The work of this association, which brought together government bodies, local authorities, and producer organizations, bore fruit on July 4, 2015, when “The Climats, Terroirs of Burgundy” — 1,247 climats counted at the time of inscription — was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Within that same year, Villaine passed the association’s presidency to a successor.

From the 1.81-hectare vineyard in the Côte de Nuits to a small village in the Côte Chalonnaise: the same man left his name in both places. This series’ map begins at Romanée-Conti and ends here, at Bouzeron. Every place we walked across this map had a story of its own.

Three Facts Worth Knowing

  • Bouzeron is the only village appellation in Burgundy reserved solely for the white grape Aligoté. Until it earned that status on February 17, 1998, Aligoté had only ever been treated as one variety within a broad regional appellation.
  • In 1971, the man who built a domaine of his own in this village was Aubert de Villaine, who served for nearly half a century as co-director of a vineyard in the Côte de Nuits, Romanée-Conti. Rather than land lined with Grand Cru vineyards, he chose a small village at the edge of the map.
  • In 2007, Villaine also became the first president of an association formed to preserve Burgundy’s climats for future generations. That work bore fruit on July 4, 2015, when “The Climats, Terroirs of Burgundy” was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

In this series

This article is the final episode of the series “Burgundy, Through One Map,” in all 13 parts.