Domaine Bruno Lorenzon

When we bought Domaine Direct back in 2020 and, consequently, acquired some much-cherished new allocations, we knew well the reputation of Bruno Lorenzon’s wines. What perhaps we were less clear on was quite how much of a perfectionist he is: passionate, driven, engaging, forthright and confident. He has very clear ideas on what it takes to make great wines and, after a few hours in his company, one is left wondering why all other domaines don’t follow his approach!

One reason may be that he spends 750 hours annually working on each of his nine hectares (six in Mercurey and three in Montagny) when the average across Burgundy is just one third of that. That is a huge amount of time and it demonstrates a phenomenal level of attention to detail in the vineyard, but it is very much in keeping with his complete conviction that this is where great wines originate from. You then taste the wines, and it all makes sense.

Bruno took over the family domaine, officially, 27 years ago when he was just 32, although he had already been, unofficially, at its helm for four years. At the time, there were only 4.5 hectares in the domaine, but he has slowly added some new parcels during his time in charge. Much of the domaine is planted to a higher-than average density, encouraging the vines’ roots to delve deep and soak up the minerality of the soil. This means yields are kept at levels much lower than is the norm in this part of Burgundy, enhancing the natural concentration of the wines.

Bruno likes to give the wines an extended elevage, with initial time in barrel varying from 12 to 20 months, followed by a further 4 to 6 months in stainless steel. New oak is sparingly used, and, unsurprisingly, each wine is carefully matched to specific barrels chosen by Bruno, so that they work with the wood rather than fight with it for supremacy. Such is the intense concentration and level of dry extract in the wines, the oak is almost invisible, although its enhancement of nuance is undoubted. It’s interesting to wander around the vineyards of Mercurey.

As first impressions suggest, much of the land is quite clay-rich and, certainly, if one wanders around just after a rainstorm, one’s shoes become heavily weighed down with clumps of the stuff. Yet, there is an energy and lifted quality to Bruno’s wines which flies in the face of this and suggests that most of his vineyards have much lighter, stonier soils that bring purity and definition to the party.

The matière of the wines doesn’t come from the clay but from the viticulture, the low yields, and Bruno’s work in the cuverie. So much of what comes out of the Chalonnaise lacks ambition, as growers rely on value as their USP. I don’t think I can emphasise enough how far from this philosophy Bruno strays: he reaches for the stars and then moves on to the next galaxy, seeing no limit to what is achievable.

The wines are not cheap, that is clear, but I would argue that, despite their enhanced price tags, they still offer excellent value. No-one else in the region is making wines like this. Purely in terms of quality, there are plenty of producers in the three big villages of Meursault, Puligny and Chassagne also not making wines like this. But that is where comparisons should be made as pitching the wines against those of his neighbours creates an unfair fight.

Last summer, I was served a white wine blind in a restaurant. Someone piped up in that they wondered if it came from the Chalonnaise. I said that if that was the case, it could only mean that we were drinking one of Bruno’s wines. Turns out, it was his 2020 Mercurey Champ Martin Blanc, one of his top cuvées, that just got better and better in the glass. Admittedly, his 2020s are very special, but this was at the level of an excellent 1er Cru from one of three villages mentioned above.