Yann Durieux, Les Grands Ponts Blanc, 2018

Yann Durieux is an exceptionally talented young winemaker who is making his mark in Burgundy. Yann’s story is remarkable. The fourth generation of a family of winemakers from Nuits-Saint-Georges, he vinified his first vintage solo aged 13. He met Henry-Frederich Roch in 1999 and became convinced of his metier, sharing his winemaking philosophy and deep love of terroir. He then worked with Domaine des Vignes du Maynes for 10 years, before going to Domaine Prieur Roch (‘DPR’) in 2007. There, as well as helping in the cellar, he was put in charge of their parcel of Clos de Beze, due to his incredible understanding of biodynamic viticulture and terroir. In 2010 he followed his dream of reclaiming his lost family vineyards in the Hautes Cotes de Nuits, and began his domaine ‘Recrue des Sens’. He made the first 3 vintages using the DPR cellars, before finding a vigneron’s house and cellar in Villiers-la-Faye. In the Hautes-Cotes de Nuits where Domaine de la Romanee-Conti is his neighbour, he owns parcels of vines and works with plots en fermage in magical terroir. Yann has a deep understanding and love for this land, having followed in the footsteps of his great-grandfather, grandfather and father to make wine here. He is an entirely uncompromising artist; an iconoclast and an evangelist for working in harmony with nature - and his wines are stunning for their purity, delicacy, freshness and elegance. In short, he is the future of Burgundy.