Meursault Chaume Les Perriers 1999 Domaine d’Auvenay

Chaume Les Perriers 1999 – Domaine d’Auvenay

A dry Chenin Blanc of electric purity from a terroir traditionally known for sweet wines

The Chaume Les Perriers 1999 from Domaine d’Auvenay is a rare expression of dry Chenin Blanc from a cru historically associated with botrytized wines. Under the uncompromising vision of Lalou Bize-Leroy, this bottling rejects convention, revealing the raw, mineral identity of the Chaume terroir with zero residual sugar, no compromise, and total transparency of place.

The 1999 vintage brought maturity and tension in perfect balance, making this wine a stunningly age-worthy white of crystalline structure and intense finesse.

Viticulture and vinification

The vineyard is farmed using strict biodynamic methods, free from chemical inputs, with obsessive attention to soil life and plant health. Harvest is carried out manually, with only healthy, botrytis-free grapes selected.

Fermentation occurs spontaneously with indigenous yeasts in used oak barrels, where the wine then ages for over two years on fine lees. There is no fining or filtration, allowing the wine to maintain its full character and natural tension.

Tasting notes 🍋🧂🌿

• Color: Pale golden with silver reflections.

• Nose: Linear and expressive. Lemon zest, green tea, crushed herbs, chamomile, smoky minerality, white almond, and flint.

• Palate: Razor-sharp and taut. The mouthfeel is dry and stony, with a focused acidic backbone, vibrant citrus energy, and a persistent salty finish. Remarkable length and drive.

Serving temperature and pairings

Serve at 12–13 °C in Burgundy-style glasses. Perfect with raw seafood, scallops, herbed vegetable dishes, or creamy goat cheeses. Also compelling solo as a meditative wine.

Technical sheet

• Producer: Domaine d’Auvenay

• Appellation: Chaume (dry white, outside sweet wine designation)

• Vintage: 1999

• Grape variety: 100% Chenin Blanc

• Farming: Certified biodynamic

• Vinification: Wild yeast fermentation, aged 24+ months in used barrels, no fining or filtration

• Alcohol: 13%

• Residual sugar: None (dry)

• Serving temperature: 12–13 °C

• Aging potential: 30+ years

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Domaine d’Auvenay – The Hidden Soul of Burgundy

Introduction to the myth

Domaine d’Auvenay is one of the most mysterious, rare, and revered names in Burgundy—if not in the entire world of wine. Nestled in the village of Saint-Romain in the Côte de Beaune, it represents the most intimate and personal expression of Lalou Bize-Leroy, a living legend in the realm of Burgundian viticulture.

Unlike the more prominent and established Domaine Leroy, also owned by her, Auvenay is tiny and almost mystical: just around 4 hectares in total, farmed with obsessive precision and vinified without compromise.

From this quiet corner of Burgundy, Lalou produces some of the purest, most intense and long-lived white and red wines in existence—crafted with immense care, profound knowledge, and spiritual devotion.

A philosophy of total precision

In the vineyard: Biodynamics as an art form

The vineyards of Domaine d’Auvenay are cultivated with biodynamic principles and zero synthetic chemicals. Every task is carried out by hand, and each vine is treated as a living, individual organism.

No shortcuts. No machines. Every cluster is harvested by hand with surgical precision. The work in the vineyard is as detailed as bonsai cultivation, aimed at preserving biodiversity and enhancing soil vitality.

In the cellar: Slowness, gravity, and truth

Winemaking at Auvenay is deeply traditional and entirely gravity-fed. Fermentations occur spontaneously with indigenous yeasts in old oak barrels and demi-muids.

Malolactic fermentation is not always allowed, depending on the vintage. The wines mature slowly, often for extended periods on fine lees. They are neither fined nor filtered, and bottled only when Lalou deems them ready—sometimes after several years.

The wines of Auvenay

Whites: The epiphany of Chardonnay

Domaine d’Auvenay is best known for its monumental white wines, made from Chardonnay grapes grown in both prestigious and humble terroirs. From Bourgogne Aligoté to Puligny-Montrachet Les Enseignères, all the way up to Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru, these wines offer a level of concentration, tension, and salinity that defies any classification system.

Even a so-called “village” wine from Auvenay can outshine Grand Crus from top domaines in purity and depth.

Reds: Precision and soul

Auvenay also produces tiny quantities of Pinot Noir, from rare and often forgotten parcels such as Volnay, Auxey-Duresses, Mazis-Chambertin, and others. These reds are refined, soulful, and intellectually complex—never about power, always about truth.

They offer a rare balance of transparency and depth, and they age with extraordinary grace.

Market impact and cult status

Ultra-limited, ultra-coveted

Buying a bottle of Domaine d’Auvenay is almost impossible. Production is extremely limited, distribution is tightly controlled, and the wines are sold mostly **through private allocations