Dominique Laurent is a negoçiant-eleveur. He has only tiny vineyard holdings of his own and buys grapes or new wine from various growers, focussing only on old vines and low yields from almost every appellation on the Côte d'Or and occasionally from the Côte Chalonnaise. The word éleveur indicates that he 'raises' the wine. Initially he only bought young wine, taking delivery soon after vinification in the cellars of the growers with whom he is working. Now, in some cases, he buys the grapes and does the fermentation himself. What sets him apart from most other negoçiants is that he works very closely throughout the year with his growers, most, if not all, of whom are the most important names in Burgundy. He buys the wine, or part of the wine from specific plots of old vines. He involves himself in the viticulture, right through to the harvest and fermentation. He only buys when the fruit, or the young wine, meets his demanding standards. He applies his minimalist methods of élevage, which of course varies from wine to wine and vintage to vintage.
He has raised eyebrows with his use of 100% new oak in the top grands crus. Despite criticism from some quarters that his earlier wines were too oaky, this has not been our, now extensive, experience since the 1993 vintage (his first vintage was 1992). It's worth mentioning that the calibre of the oak used by Laurent is the highest possible (see below) and the wines integrate perfectly with time (no one makes grand crus for early drinking!). Recent outstanding reviews of his '93s by Clive Coates (The Vine) and Revue du Vin de France would seem to have vindicated Laurent's early experimentation and even the early critics are now full of praise.
Laurent is complex and driven and he is without a doubt creating remarkable wines. He is now acknowledged as a major influence upon Burgundy and its wines in the midst of what is clearly the most exciting time in this regions long history. Growers who began by viewing his work with skepticism are now proud of their association, even though their name is never put on the label.
The key to the Laurent wines is old - sometimes exceptionally old - low yielding vines, combined with an élevage that produces richness and complexity, while at the same time retaining the fundamental elements of terroir. We have found his wines have a depth and dimension that transcends most other producers, be it a generique, village wine, premier cru or grand cru. All the wines are bottled by hand without fining or filtration. They are richly flavoured, textural Burgundies that drink well throughout their lives, regularly over-delivering on the reputation of the vintage. They are the glorious result of a very natural, 'minimal intervention' winemaking process, that is to say, the wines are made very gently, next to no sulphur is used (typically only a small dose at bottling), and the wines are bottled by hand without filtration or fining. This approach combined with the natural ripeness achieved from old, low yielding vines leads to the generosity of flavour for which these wines have become famous.
Laurent is constantly seeking to refine and improve his methods. As each year goes by it is clear that his wines are becoming more refined, without diminishing their authority and power. Certainly his wines have a "Dom Laurent" stylistic stamp on them - full flavoured, rich, creamy texture, concentrated - but each one makes a clear statement of its origin, each one speaks of its terroir. NOTE: All Dom Laurent wines require decanting prior to being served. If the wines are young we recommend this occurs half an hour prior to serving.