Domaine Leroy
Founded in 1868 in the Côtes de Nuits by François Leroy, winemaker and wine merchant, Maison Leroy embodies the quintessence of great Burgundy wines. World-renowned and adulated by all the great critics and tasters of the world, Maison Leroy is one of the myths of Burgundy.
The history of the Estate:
Henri Leroy joined the family business in 1919. Thanks to him, Maison Leroy enjoyed a meteoric rise. In 1942, the Leroy family became co-owners of the iconic Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, which went on to become a veritable jewel in the crown.
The House of Leroy is inevitably associated with Lalou-Bize Leroy, the great lady of Burgundy. Lalou Bize-Leroy became co-manager of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti in 1974 and worked alongside Aubert de Villaine until 1992. An outstanding taster, Lalou Bize-Leroy fascinates with her unique and singular vision of Burgundy. She has a perfect knowledge of the terroirs and is an extreme perfectionist. She established herself as a pioneer by introducing biodynamic viticulture to her vineyards as early as 1988.
The Terroir:
Domaine Leroy owns 21 hectares. It has 9 Grands Crus, 8 Premiers Crus, 9 Villages and plots in generic appellations. From Chambolle-Musigny to Pommard, via Volnay, Vosne-Romanée, Chassagne-Montrachet, Meursault and Santenay, Domaine Leroy covers the most prestigious terroirs in Burgundy.
Domaine Leroy is blessed with a heritage of ancient vines, in part because Lalou Bize-Leroy never grubs up and replants. Instead she replaces individual missing vines, from her own cuttings, but never too many at once in a given vineyard. These old vines combined with her training and pruning policy, restricting the bunches to just four per vine, explain in part the concentration of Leroy wines. The average yield across appellations and vintages at Domaine Leroy is around 16 hl/ha.
The Wines:
In the cellar there is no winemaker no oenologist, André Porcheret not having been replaced when he left after the 1993 harvest. The grapes are of such quality that they do not need a winemaker.
Today Domaine Leroy has achieved unrivalled status. Currently, 8 of the 20 most expensive wines in the world are produced by Leroy and production is minuscule – some of the plots produce one, maybe two to four barrels a year, with each barrel equating to only 100 bottles. While four of the First Growths make 20,000 cases plus a year each (across 22 hectares which comprise 25 different vineyards), Domaine Leroy produces just 600 cases. The minuscule DRC Romanee Conti produces more than this alone, while DRC La Tache releases three times this.
