KERMIT LYNCH WINE MERCHANT

Romain Taupenot is the ninth generation to run this family domaine in Morey-Saint-Denis. While records show his ancestors practiced viticulture as far back as the 17th century, the domaine as we know it today truly came to be after the marriage of Romain’s parents, Denise Merme and Jean Taupenot, in 1963. The domaine’s diverse vineyard sites across both the Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune can be traced back to this union of holdings from the Taupenot family, based in Saint-Romain, with those belonging to the Mermes, from Morey-Saint-Denis.

Romain recalls helping out at the domaine as a child, assisting with harvest and selling his grandfather’s wines along the side of the route nationale to vacationers passing through Burgundy on their summer journey south. But his total integration into the family business would come much later, as he first pursued a career in finance following business studies in Paris. In 1998, he returned home to assume management of the domaine, which he now runs alongside his sister, Virginie.

With 9 hectares in the Côte de Nuits and another 4.5 hectares in the Côte de Beaune, Romain and Virginie now produce nineteen different wines across seventeen appellations. A significant portion of their holdings are in premier cru and grand cru appellations, and all of their premiers crus are enviably placed. Old vines represent a significant proportion of the domaine’s holdings, with new plantings created from sélection massale cuttings of their best vines. Having farmed organically since 2001, the Taupenots seek to respect the character of each climat to yield wines of purity and grace that are faithful to their appellation of origin.

Romain jokingly refers to himself as a “lazy winemaker,” prioritizing work in the vineyard in order to minimize the need for intervention in the cellar. Their hand-harvested grapes are de-stemmed and undergo a cold soak before fermentation with wild yeast, a method pioneered by the late, great Henri Jayer. Cellar operations like pigeages and remontages are gentle and performed with the goal of expressing the nuances of each site. Accordingly, commercial yeasts, bacteria, enzymes and other additives are out of the question, and new oak is used judiciously. With few exceptions, the wines are bottled unfiltered, while sulfur doses are kept to a minimum.

Romain considers the house style to be one of richness with freshness, relying on the innate quality of the sites they farm to deliver wines that are balanced and complete, with elegant tannins. With such an amazing assortment of climats to their name, the down-to-earth and hard-working Romain and Virginie are perfect ambassadors for this diverse collection of esteemed Burgundian terroirs.