1996 Domaine Jean Yves Bizot Echezeaux Burgundy - 750ml

Domaine Jean Yves Bizot is a small Burgundy wine producer in the Côte de Nuits with a cult following. It makes Pinot Noir from several small plots in Vosne-Romanée premier cru vineyards, and in the grand cru Echézeaux vineyard. The estate totals a little more than 8 acres.

The modern incarnation of the domaine was established in 1995, when Jean Yves Bizot inherited the winery and vineyards from his family. Bizot had been a professor of oenology and follows a largely non-interventionist approach to the winemaking. The grapes are not de-stemmed or pressed, but fermented in whole clusters. Temperatures are kept low and fermentation takes place in conical wooden vats for 14 to 20 days. Aging is done in new small French oak barrels for all the wines, from the Bourgogne Rouge to the grand cru, and lasts 15 to 20 months. None of the wines are racked and all are bottled by hand, cask by cask, without fining or filtration – the labels carry information about the individual barrel they were aged in. Bizot adds little to no sulphur dioxide depending on the vintage.

Domaine Jean Yves Bizot's production is very small, with fewer than 1000 cases produced annually.