The passion and challenges of a former French military pilot
The current owner, Xavier, who was born into a historic family that has been making wine since the 18th century, has an unusual career, having originally worked as a pilot for French military fighter jets (Mirage 2000D, Jaguar, Alpha Jet) for 18 years. When his grandfather Raymond passed away in 2000, he owned two Grand Crus, Chambertin and Latricière Chambertin, in addition to approximately 4 hectares of Pommard vineyard. At this time, his grandson Xavier and his aunt were named as heirs. While his aunt, who had no interest in wine, wanted to sell the vineyard to someone else, he had a strong desire to carry on the winemaking business. Without any concessions from either side, their opinions clashed head-on, leading to a battle in court. Despite the emotional burden of legal battles with his relatives and spending an incredible 11 years and a whopping 80,000 euros in court, Xavier continued to make wine in the tradition of his ancestors dating back to the 18th century. I wanted to. This is despite the fact that if he had sold the farm, he would have been able to earn a large sum of money without any trouble and live a wealthy life without getting caught up in the troublesome inheritance dispute. His passion grew with each passing day, and while he was still a pilot, he continued to immerse himself in studying wine at the University of Bordeaux.
It has been attracting attention since its first VT in 2014.
After a long legal battle, his victory was short-lived, but from 2011 to 2013, he, like many other Pommard growers, suffered from hailstorms. . They are unable to grow satisfactory grapes, cannot expect a good yield, and have to sell their grapes elsewhere to make a living. You can imagine the frustration of not being able to make your own wine after waiting 11 years. Under normal circumstances, many people would have given up on their dreams after experiencing such a series of unfortunate circumstances. However, he did not have the slightest feeling of giving up, and with an unyielding spirit he accepted everything and began preparing to release wine at his domaine. With the proceeds from selling grapes to négociants, he purchased presses, tanks, and barrels, and renamed the domaine Launay Oriot. After 14 years of patience after inheriting the vineyard, Xavier finally produced the long-awaited 1st vintage of 2014. Tim Atkin barrel-tasted the first vintage and was amazed at how delicious Pommard was, even though it was far from his personal favorite wine. It goes without saying that both Murana and Premier are of high quality, and I was especially attracted to their future prospects. However, it was the two Chambertins that captured his heart. ``The terroir of this great vineyard is expressed beautifully and beautifully,'' he said, leaving a highly acclaimed comment. In addition, famous Burgundy critics such as Neil Martin and Alain Meadow have given each wine high praise and stamped their approval.
