Joli Vin imports

Domaine des Terres de Velle - Auxey-Duresses

The name of the domaine was not difficult to find for Sophie and Fabrice Laronze. For they founded the domaine from the bottom up, with the desire that their wines be references or true expressions of each individual terroir. All they had to do was look down. The Velle river which passes at the foot of the domaine and once furnished the ancient mill above with a steady source of water was the natural and easy choice. And so, in the summer of 2009 the opportunity presented itself and Domaine des Terres de Velle was born.

In Burgundy, one hears the oft repeated refrain of domaines under family ownership for generations, being handed down through the years from father to son or daughter. Marriages that cobble together holdings from two separate families in order to create a more viable enterprise. Here however is an altogether new project, only in its infancy, bringing together the multiple talents of several individuals, sharing the same passion for creating something honest and something sustainable.

Located at the entrance of the village of Auxey-Duresses in the heart of Burgundy’s picturesque Côte de Beaune, husband and wife, Burgundy natives, Sophie and Fabrice Laronze, created this new domaine bringing together five hectares of vineyards scattered among 11 neighboring appellations of the Côte de Beaune. Since the original acquisition in the summer of 2009, they have expanded the diversity and depth of important Chardonnay plantings, first a village parcel in Chassagne-Montrachet being produced in 2010, and the following year, two neighboring premier cru parcels, one in Meursault, Les Charmes and adjacent to it in Puligny-Montrachet, Les Referts.

After studying oenology in Beaune and Montpellier, Fabrice worked in a few Burgundy houses, spent some time at Mirimar Torres in Sonoma, and returned to France before a chance meeting with Alex Gambal, an ambitious American who in the late 1990s was setting up his micro-negociant business and was in need of a winemaker. During 10 vintages at the young and growing domaine, Fabrice had the invaluable experience of sourcing grapes throughout much of the Côte de Beaune and the important communes of the Côte de Nuits as he directed the domaine away from purchasing finished wines and toward purchasing fruit and vinifying in-house in order to develop a domaine style. At the time it was far from common to purchase fruit but in order to get the results he was looking for, Fabrice had the delicate task of convincing growers to change habitual practices in favor of a more sustainable approach which included ploughing, eliminating chemical treatments, reducing yields and frequently pushing anxious growers to wait another week or longer to collect their fruit. Through the wonderful and historically unique vintages of the new millennium, he received a steadily mounting chorus of praise for his wines and firmly established the young domaine as an important address for wines of distinction.

Equally dynamic on the sales end of the business, Sophie has honed her skills working the international market for Albert Bichot in Beaune and the Tonnellerie de Mercurey before joining her husband at Alex Gambal in 2004 with the mission of developing the European market. Together they are joined by longtime friend Junji Hashimoto who since arriving in Burgundy in 1997 has worked in a number of first class estates, where he first crossed paths with Fabrice, attended the viticultural school in Beaune and has passionately immersed himself in all facets of the Burgundian viticulture. He and Fabrice share the vineyard and cellar work at the new address.

While not on the path of certification at the moment, the domaine is nonetheless committed to the sustainable path in the elaboration of their wines. From the moment they arrived, the vineyards were job number one. They set to work revitalizing the soils and restoring the biodiversity by ceasing any chemical treatments, returned to the plough to turn the soils, and began a rigorous program of debudding in order to increase aeration, reduce the risk of rot and naturally increase concentration and complexity in the harvested fruit. The wines are fined but bottled without filtration and so a light deposit may be present. We believe that the wines are better for not having been filtered.

The summer of 2011 sees a complete renovation of the winery in accord with their manner of production and brings a natural gravity flow as the grape juice moves from the fermenting tanks above to aging barrels below. As they settle into their new surroundings in the coming years and continue to make the improvements in the vineyard and to the facility, the wines should reflect the same upward trajectory toward excellence. Joli Vin is excited to be witness to the dynamic evolution of this exciting new project and we look forward to our clients discovering these wines in the formative years of this new venture.

www.terresdevelle.fr