Henri de Villamont

History

At the end of the 19th century, in Savigny-lès-Beaune, winegrower Léonce Bocquet, then owner of Clos de Vougeot, had the Domaine Henri de Villamont buildings built for the vinification and ageing of his wines. He called on Charles Suisse, a renowned architect and professor of fine arts, who launched the construction of an atypical 3,000m2 winery. To this day, these cellars are considered one of the most beautiful monuments in the Burgundy wine world.

In 1964, the Swiss family group Schenk, one of Europe's leading wine merchants with a presence in most of the world's vineyards, bought the estate. Henri de Villamont was born.

In 2004, the Schenk family decided to divest itself of its mass-marketing activities and concentrate on the pursuit of excellence. If the volume of bottles produced by the estate has been greatly reduced, it is to the benefit of their quality and finesse.

Major technical investments were then made: the winery was completely redesigned and renovated, to provide more efficient oenological tools. At the same time, Pierre Jhean became the estate's new manager and winemaker. Originally from Meursault, where his family runs an estate, Pierre is a trained oenologist. It is thanks to his experience that the company has been able to evolve towards a production of exceptional quality. To this day, he is still in charge of production.

Know-how

The vineyard's credo boils down to history, modernity and respect for terroir, in order to offer enthusiasts and connoisseurs powerful, elegant and profound wines.

The vines are in lutte raisonnée for a viticulture that aims to be sustainable protective of the environment. The grapes are harvested exclusively by hand, and the vinification process respects the quality of the grapes and is adapted to each terroir.

The same care is taken with the 19 appellations produced by the estate, with the aim of choosing the best grapes from the estate as well as those from other winegrowers who will go on to produce great wines. The vineyards are constantly monitored by the technical team, and supply contracts are carefully drawn up, resulting in wines of indisputable quality.

Pierre Jhean, with his knowledge of terroirs and grape varieties and his meticulous study of vintages, chooses the type of oak for the barrels, the cooper and the optimal toasting that will give the wine all its qualities.

The emphasis is on constant research and perfect knowledge of terroirs, to bring out the best in each grape variety. Every effort is made to preserve the authenticity and qualities of our crus.

All in all, the efforts produced by Domaine Henri de Villamont and the excellence of its wines are rewarded every year by the Guide Hachette.