Interview with Burgundy’s Domaine Leroy

“Lalou Bize-Leroy stands virtually alone at the top of Burgundy's quality hierarchy. Because she is a perfectionist, and because she has had the courage to produce wines from low yields and bottle them naturally, without fining or filtration she has been scorned by many Burgundy negociants, and even by the proprietors of other top domaines. Not only are they jealous, they are frightened of Bize-Leroy because they fear increasing pressure for lower yields and bio-dynamic farming. Anyone who loves great Burgundy, must realize that her wines embarrass much of what is produced in Burgundy” – Robert Parker 1994

Domaine Leroy certainly produces some great wine in Burgundy from 9 Grand Cru appellations, 8 Premier Cru appellations along with 8 Villages appellations and the winery is fully committed to biodynamic farming methods which ensure the longevity and quality of the lands with which they harvest each year.

Mme. Lalou Bize-Leroy joined the family business in 1955. She became President-Director General in 1971.  With great devotion and a lot of work, through constant tasting, she undertook to understand the essential characteristics of each "terroir" from each vineyard of Burgundy. For Maison Leroy, still today, she searches unceasingly to purchase the best, and for her the best is always yet to come.

Prior to a dinner organised at Cepage by One Red Dot Fine wines, Wine Times sat down with Gilles Desprez, export manager for Domaine Leroy (Ms. Leroy seldom travels these days) to talk about their wines and find out more about the winery and what makes it one of the best producers Burgundy has ever seen.

WTHK: How is the recent 2012 vintage looking at Domaine Leroy?

GD: “This was a challenging vintage from the beginning and it was the kind of vintage that most wineries were happy when it was finished. Quality-wise I am sure it will be very high but there were very low yields and there was a lot of work to do. It was the opposite of the 2009 where everything went well, as the 2012 everything that could go wrong did go wrong – disease, inclement weather, frost hail, mildew etc. For us the biodynamics helped us as the vines ripen a little earlier as the storms came right after our harvest. There will be a lot of difference between those who harvested before and after the storms”.

WTHK: How much does biodynamic farming affect the overall quality of the wines or it really only about ensuring the quality of the terroir?

GD: “Well, it’s a whole philosophy. It’s more about the little details. The biggest challenge being biodynamic in Burgundy, especially for us since we started in 1988 is that back then we had nobody to talk to about it as we were the only ones doing it. She was adamant that the Domaine was going that way but it certainly wasn’t easy. In the end Mme. Leroy inspired many in Burgundy and we think you can really see the difference in the wines these days. But when you farm biodynamically your yields go down which means that you produce less wines – but of a higher quality. Our goal is to make the best wines in the area”.

WTHK: What is it that makes Domaine Leroy stand out above other wineries in Burgundy?

GD: “Most likely it’s the work in the vineyard and the energy that’s within our wines. We are not looking to make overpowering, over-extracted wines. We like to surprise people with our village wines as everyone expects Grand Cru wines to be good every year. The finesse of the wines and the balance of the wines stand out for us and the consistency on every level at each vineyard is very important. Our wines are made to develop over time and people can really see the quality the longer they wait to drink the wines – the longer the better! Even in the cellar, we are still crushing the wines by feet these days!”

WTHK: Do you have a personal favourite from Leroy?

GD: “It’s a tough question! Actually I look more at vintage so recently I am loving the 1989 vintage. Each vintage you have one or two wines that stand out. Everyone has different tastes but for me I am interested in how the variation is in each vintage”.

WTHK:  Before you worked for Leroy you were a sommelier for Alain Ducasse. Why the move from F&B into sales?

GD: “Frederic Roemer was my head sommelier in Monaco and we already had a good relationship and we were the number one customer for Mme. Leroy – there were Leroy wines all over the restaurant. After a lot of travelling I wanted to get back into wine production so in 2000 I went back to Beaune on a two year program with the idea to have my own winery. Many people gave me the opportunity to make wine for export to the US and Asia which was nice. Two years ago I started working again with Frederic at Domaine Leroy and so I started working with their wines in the US and now in Asia. Coming here to Hong Kong to see how much the people appreciate the wines definitely makes me want to keep coming back here and do more events”.

WTHK: What are your thoughts on Domaine Leroy wines ability to pair with Chinese food?

GD: “Well, we had a good experience last night. Each vintage is going to be different with different styles of food. The 2009’s are great on their own but also especially good with duck dishes. When you look at something like the 2003 which are richer with firmer tannins, then you need something with a little more fat like barbeque pork – something a little richer, like the wines. There are a lot of different pairings that can be done if you look at different vintages with different foods. The only thing to remember over here is the sauces, many here are very strong but you want to make sure it is not so strong that it overpowers the wines. There are almost no limits to food pairing but you don’t want to go too strong with the flavours because you know Burgundy wines are delicate and more so the older the vintage”.