Pierre Vincent’s New Venture: Launch of His Own Burgundy Winery After Domaine Leflaive

The esteemed winemaker is launching Domaine Pierre Vincent using some fantastic old-vine vineyards

A leading winemaker from Burgundy is embarking on an independent venture. Pierre Vincent, the valued general manager at Domaine Leflaive since 2017, has declared his departure at the end of the year to establish his own venture, Domaine Pierre Vincent.

In July 2023, Vincent acquired Domaine des Terres de Velle in Auxey-Duresses alongside friends Hervé Kratiroff and Eric Versini from the Solexia Group, rechristening it as Domaine Pierre Vincent. The sales price remains confidential.

Established in 2009, Terres de Velle owns 17.29 acres of Côte de Beaune vineyards spread across 16 distinct appellations. Among them, the most notable are the grand cru Corton-Charlemagne and premiers crus Chassagne-Montrachet Les Chaumées, Puligny-Montrachet Les Referts, Meursault Les Charmes, and Savigny-lès-Beaune Aux Vergelesses for whites wines and Volnay Le Ronceret and Monthélie Les Duresses for the reds.

“My desire is to position the domaine as ‘haute couture artisan,’” Vincent told Wine Spectator. “The plant material is exceptional. The average age of the vines is 58 years—the oldest vines are 95 years old—and the majority of vines are pruned in Cordon de Royat. Even [vineyard consultant] Marco Simonit is surprised by the quality of the vines. This domaine is frankly a completely unknown rarity.”

Part of that anonymity stems from the fact that the Terres de Velle wines were never exported. “Concerning the distribution of wines, it will be completely changed and turned toward export,” said Vincent. His team will start from scratch under the new label from the 2023 vintage.

He also intends to convert the vineyards to biodynamic farming, a philosophy he followed as technical director of Domaine de la Vougeraie from 2006 to 2016 and at Domaine Leflaive since 2017. In the cellar, Vincent’s goal is to allow both the fruit and terroir to shine, which translates to minimal intervention and the conservative use of new oak. Given Vincent’s experience and the Domaine’s holdings, this is an estate to watch.

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