Auction update: Lamy’s Rising Star

One of the emerging forces in white Burgundy, Domaine Hubert Lamy is waving the flag for previously lesser-regarded appellations such as Saint-Aubin.

In 2023, wines from Burgundy represented more than 40% of the value generated in iDealwine auctions, firmly cementing the region’s status as the most valuable place of origin for wine sold on the company’s website. Burgundy provided all 50 of the highest-priced bottles sold on the site last year.

Sixty-five percent of the Burgundy sold on iDealwine in 2023 was red, including iconic producers such as Domaine Leroy, Domaine d’Auvenay and Georges Roumier. However, an impressive list of whites went under the hammer as well, Domaine d’Auvenay and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, each attracting bids of over €10,000 for a single 750ml bottle.

In a region filled with icons, rising stars often provide the most excitement for the future. This includes the likes of Hubert Lamy, which saw a bottle of Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru Haute Densité 2017 sell for €2,754 in November.

Over the past few decades, Domaine Hubert Lamy has cemented itself as one of the best producers in Saint-Aubin. Although the estate’s popularity is recent, the family’s winemaking history is quite extensive. By the time that Hubert Lamy began his own operation in 1973, his family had already been making Burgundy wines for over three centuries. However, before Hubert took over, the family’s vineyards were primarily located in regional appellations like Bourgogne Aligoté and Bourgogne Passetoutgrains. One of his first strategic decisions was to fundamentally change the geographical footprint of his family’s operation. He set out to purchase land on valuable premier cru and village plots in the area, having substantially increased his holdings by the end of the 1990s.

Additionally, he dramatically changed the viticultural makeup of his plantings, which had historically favoured Pinot Noir.

Hubert felt that many of the Pinot plots would be better-suited to Chardonnay and, for this reason, he had much of the land replanted. Today, Chardonnay represents 80% of the estate’s production.

FATHER AND SON

Continuing his family’s centuries-long tradition of winemaking, Hubert’s son Olivier joined the winery in 1995. Having studied both business and winemaking beforehand, Olivier was able to bring fresh new perspectives to the estate, including his interest in high-density planting and larger-sized barrels. In 2022, following his father ’s death, Olivier took over ownership of the estate.

Today, the estate owns 18.5 hectares of vines, which are spread across several appellations, including Saint-Aubin, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet and Santenay. Its 1,200sq m production facility allows the family to produce about 110,000 bottles per year.

All wines are produced in the same facility, which features separate cellars for red and white wines. Only 30% of production is destined for France, while the other 70% is sent to export markets including Japan, the UK and the US.