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Spotlight: Domaine Launay-Horiot

Behind every bottle of wine we sell, there is the story of the winemakers who put it together; who plant the vines and tend the canopy, who make the judgment on when to harvest and oversee the transformation of grapes into finished wine over a period of months and years…

We first met Xavier Horiot back in 2018, in the early days of BurgDirect. He was for the first time displaying his wines at the most important biennial Burgundy trade show, Les Grands Jours du Bourgogne, and we were absolutely blown away by the man and the quality of his efforts.

When BurgDirect had yet to make its first offer to customers, only those winemakers with the trust and vision to recognize the promise of our new method of delivering their wines directly would sign on. A man of honor and vision, willing to take calculated risks, Xavier agreed to join us before we’d left the trade show floor.

To celebrate our long relationship with Xavier (and the fantastic wines of his domaine), we’re pleased to introduce the latest article in our Spotlight series, and to tell the remarkable story of the winemaker at the helm of Domaine Launay-Horiot.

Life before the domaine

The origins of the Domaine Launay-Horiot date back to the 18th century, when the Launay family first settled in Pommard. Starting as a small operation, the domaine grew over successive generations, peaking at 27 acres with the purchase of two Grand Cru plots in Gevrey-Chambertin by Xavier’s grandfather Raymond.

While he may have nurtured a dream of eventually working the land himself, Xavier spent most of his early life far from the vineyards of Burgundy, serving as a fighter pilot in the French Air Force.

With the same dedication and tenacity that would one day come to define his winemaking, Xavier applied himself fully to his career, and for his exemplary service was presented with the French Croix de Guerre, and named a knight of the Legion of Honor.

But all that was soon to change. On an ordinary day in the year 2000, Xavier received a surprise call from his grandfather that put his life on a new course.

The struggle for the vineyard

Xavier’s grandfather, then owner of Domaine Launay-Horiot, was reaching old age. Knowing that his time was near, he wanted to pass the vineyards on to his descendants, and with it his dream of renewing the family’s winemaking legacy.

When he learned that his daughter, Xavier’s aunt, planned to sell the domaine in its entirety once it came into her possession, he decided to place his hopes in his grandson Xavier, who took up the call with enthusiasm.

But the quirks of France’s Napoleon-era inheritance laws could not be circumvented so easily, and this simple decision resulted in a decade-long legal struggle within the family, with Xavier doing his best to hold onto some portion of the vineyards and revive his grandfather’s dream.

In 2011, just as he was nearing the end of resources, the courts ruled in his favor. Though he emerged from the scrap with little left to his name but 10 acres out of the original 27, those acres were the very best of the domaine - The Premier Crus in Pommard, and the two Grand Crus in Gevrey-Chambertin.

Two months after the ruling, his aunt passed away.

Since taking over

With scarcely a penny to his name, Xavier spent the next few years working the vines himself, selling off most of the grapes to merchant winemaker négociants to build up the capital needed to buy equipment and hire a team.

But his efforts paid off, and with the help of wine consultant Veronique Girard, Launay-Horiot produced its first vintage in 2014 to critical acclaim. The notion of beginner’s luck was quickly dispelled as year after year Xavier continued to produce consistently excellent wines. To this day, the wines of Domaine Launay-Horiot continue to receive excellent scores from critics and amateur wine lovers alike.

The wines of Domaine Launay-Horiot

Like much of Burgundy, Xavier’s approach to winemaking is to combine the very best of traditional techniques that have a bias for minimal intervention and organic approaches, with the judicious use of modern treatments when copper or sulfur treatment won’t suffice.

The bulk of the domaine’s holdings are Premier Cru vineyards located alongside the winery in Pommard. An hour’s drive north, the domaine also boasts two exceptional Grand Cru vineyards in Gevrey-Chambertin, purchased by Xavier’s grandfather because he wanted to make wine from some of the world’s greatest vineyards.

These plots produce Launay-Horiot’s Chambertin and Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru wines, and are today Xavier’s most precious holdings, selling at hundreds of dollars per bottle.

With a total of 10 acres to look after, the wines of Domaine Launary-Horiot fall squarely in artisanal territory, which is reflected in the deep personal care that goes into every vintage.  Grapes are picked into small 25 lb crates, then vatted whole for 6–8 days of cold maceration before being turned down and punched over twice for 4 weeks to extract  color, tannin, and flavor from the must.

After vinification, the wine is racked off and stored in oak barrels for 12–15 months, which vary from 15–75% new oak depending on appellation.

Across the board, Domaine Launay-Horiot’s wines show a remarkable combination of vigor, balance, and purity of flavors that puts them on par with the very best that Burgundy has to offer.

The Premier Cru Pommards are fresh, medium-bodied wines full of ripe fruit flavors and floral aromas, while further north, the Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Crus are cooler and spicier, with fragrant notes of violet and lavender, and a palate ripe with stone fruits tempered with hints of musk and earth, all framed by soft and supple tannins.

In both cases, Launay-Horiot boasts rich and nuanced wines that remain true to the essence of Burgundian Pinot Noir, and make for excellent, age-worthy bottles with a rightful place in even the best cellars.

To the years yet to come

Since we first met him in 2018, Xavier's knowledge, skill, and reputation have only grown. His Grand Crus have garnered some of the highest red Burgundy scores among key critics, and understandably, his wines are now in great demand.

But we have worked honorably with one another throughout the years, and what started as a business relationship has developed into a friendship. While Launay-Horiot can sell its wine to whomever it chooses, Xavier ensures that some of his best wines are available for BurgDirect every year - and by extension, to the members of our mailing list.

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