| Region of production: | Côte d’Or |
| Winery Location: | Saint-Romain (Domaine d’Auvenay); Vosne-Romanée (Domaine Leroy) |
| Year Established: | 1988 (Domaine Leroy) |
Vineyard Holdings – Domaine d’Auvenay
3.9 ha
- Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru: 0.16 ha Chardonnay
- Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru: 0.06 ha Chardonnay
- Bonnes Mares Grand Cru: 0.26 ha Pinot Noir
- Meursault Gouttes d’Or Premier Cru: 0.2 ha Chardonnay
- Puligny-Montrachet Folatières Premier Cru: 0.27 ha Chardonnay
- Meursault Narvaux: 0.73 ha Chardonnay
Vineyard Holdings- Domaine Leroy
- Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru: 0.43 ha Chardonnay
- Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru: 0.57 ha Pinot Noir
- Chambertin Grand Cru: 0.5 ha Pinot Noir
- Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru: 1.91 ha Pinot Noir
- Musigny Grand Cru: 0.27 ha Pinot Noir
- Richebourg Grand Cru: 0.78 ha Pinot Noir
- Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru: 0.99 ha Pinot Noir
- Vosne-Romanée Aux Beaux Monts Premier Cru: 2.61 ha Pinot Noir
Top Wines Produced – Domaine d’Auvenay
- Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru
- Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
- Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
- Meursault Gouttes d’Or Premier Cru
- Puligny-Montrachet Folatières Premier Cru
- Meursault Narvaux
Top Wines Produced – Domaine Leroy
- Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
- Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru
- Chambertin Grand Cru
- Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru
- Musigny Grand Cru
- Richebourg Grand Cru
- Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru
- Vosne-Romanée Aux Beaux Monts Premier Cru
Inaugural Vintages
- 1988, 1989 and 1990 for Domaine Leroy wines
Average Total Production
- N/A
Summary
Leroy is one of Burgundy’s storied names, today running essentially three family enterprises: Maison Leroy, Domaine Leroy and Domaine d’Auvenay.
Maison Leroy is a négociant firm (founded in 1868) that’s currently run by the legendary Lalou Bize-Leroy. Maison Leroy possesses a renowned collection of older Burgundies (dating back to 1919) that were purchased from top domaines and have aged chez Leroy for later release.
In 1988, Lalou sold one-third of Maison Leroy to her Japanese importer, Takashimaya, in order to generate capital for the purchase of Domaine Charles Noëllat and the founding of Domaine Leroy. In 1989, Lalou added the holdings of Domaine Philippe Remy to Domaine Leroy, and in 1990 she purchased vineyards in Chambolle-Musigny that brought the total size of Domaine Leroy to its current 22 hectares.
Domaine d’Auvenay was the personal estate of Lalou’s father, Henri, and is now wholly owned by Lalou since the purchase of her sister’s share.
All of the vineyards of Domaine d’Auvenay and Domaine Leroy are farmed biodynamically and picked at extremely low yields (this frequently requires special permission to pick before the ban des vendanges, as Lalou’s extremely small crops ripen earlier on her healthy vines).
The wines from Lalou’s three arms of business can be easily distinguished by their packaging. All Leroy wines have essentially the same label yet different capsules: Maison Leroy wines boast a white capsule, while Domaine Leroy whites have a gold capsule/wax, and the reds have a red capsule/wax. Domaine d’Auvenay wines have a completely different label that reads “Lalou Bize-Leroy” at the bottom.
The Domaine Leroy and Domaine d’Auvenay wines are among the most expensive in Burgundy, a factor of both their rarity and quality.
Style & Vinification Techniques
All of the wines of Domaine d’Auvenay and Domaine Leroy show great concentration and depth of color due to the extremely low yields pursued by Lalou Bize-Leroy. The grapes are harvested in small baskets to keep the fruit intact, and the reds are fermented without de-stemming in wooden vats. The reds are fermented on the skins and stems for around 21 days with two or three pigeages daily. Both whites and reds are aged in 100% new oak for 14-18 months prior to bottling without fining or filtration.
Producer Website: d’Auvenay & Leroy