God, the quality recognized by Henri Jayet
Lou Dumont is a négociant founded by Japanese brewer Koji Nakata. Mr. Nakata first encountered wine at a French restaurant where he worked part-time when he was a university student, and dreamed of ``someday making wine with his own hands,'' so he moved to France alone in 1995. While studying French, he continued to train by visiting brewers around the country, and from the 1999 vintage, he began consignment production and bottle buying. On July 7, 2000, we established a winery in Nuits-Saint-Georges.
"Dumont" means mountain. The name is inspired by Bitchu Matsuyama Castle, which is a symbol of the town in Takahashi, Okayama Prefecture, where Mr. Nakata was born, and represents the feeling that one's hometown will always be in one's heart. "Lou" is named after a girl named Lou-chan, for whom the Nakata couple served as godparents (at a Catholic baptism ceremony).
In 2003, we opened our own brewery in Gevrey-Chambertin, which was a long-awaited goal. The special guest at the unveiling party was Mr. Henri Jayet, who was once known as the ``God of Burgundy.'' Mr. Henri is known for rarely evaluating other people's wines, considering the influence of his own opinions, but he highly praises Mr. Nakata's wines. This was the moment when Lou Dumont, which had until then been known only as ``Burgundy made by the Japanese,'' became ``Burgundy approved by God.''
A wine that combines elegance and an exotic atmosphere.
Lou Dumont's etiquette includes ``being Japanese'' and ``a sincere respect for nature and humans'', inspired by Mr. Henri Jayet's advice to ``express your own identity in wine.'' As a symbol of this, we adopted a design featuring the words ``Heaven, Earth, and People''.
Wine is made based on the unique Japanese idea that ``people are kept alive by heaven and earth,'' and due to its unique idea, it is even featured in the manga ``Drops of God.'' In the story, the Meursault made by Mr. Nakata is introduced as ``a delicate, neat wine with the beauty of good old Japan,'' and it has become widely known both in Japan and abroad.
Furthermore, in 2008, Gevrey-Chambertin acquired its own vineyard, which was a long-awaited goal, and also acquired its own cellar attached to the brewery. We are currently engaged in various initiatives such as cultivating grapes using biologic methods and creating new cuvées, and are highly regarded around the world as an up-and-coming producer among the many Burgundy producers. It has become.
Mr. Nakata's wines, which are made with the spirit of "Heaven, Earth, and Humanity," are characterized by a delicate flavor that combines the silky, elegant beauty of Burgundy wine with a somewhat exotic atmosphere. He has a unique style that only Mr. Nakata can create, a fusion of Burgundy and Japanese culture.
