Domaine Lou Dumont - Koji og Jae Hwa

Japanese humility meets Burgundian greatness

Despite growing his winemaking skills over more than two decades in the heart of Burgundy, it's clear when meeting the winemaker Koji that he never arrived to this land to exploit any of its greatness nor has adopted the mentality that sometimes goes hand in hand with cultivating the world's most prestigious terroir.

Rather his presence is greatly humble and I was soon to understand that the real greatness of this domaine is the dedication to carefully, biodynamically cultivate the vineyards and help the terroir to express itself in capital letters.

Moreover, I believe this essence also resonates in the very DNA of the domaine - its' name; Lou Dumont. Namely by combining the couple's family roots — the name of their goddaughter, Lou — and a tribute to the great mountains in their respective home countries (Japan and Korea).

In this article, I'll share much more on the visit, the tasting and most importantly, the philosophy, the vineyard work, and the winemaking of this under-the-radar gem of a domaine.

Understanding the labels

As of now, the couple owns 6.6 hectares of vineyards located across various appellations in Burgundy, which they cultivate and manage themselves.

Solely the grapes coming from these vineyards are used the estate's "domaine wines," identifiable by their white labels (the one on the left in the picture above).

The orange labels represent the domaine's négociant project, meaning they don't own these vineyards themselves, but instead purchase grapes from likeminded growers, who adhere to the same biodynamic standards. Then, Koji manages all of the vinification and aging processes in his own cellar.

Which leads to the white labels with decorative motives on (the one on the right in the picture above). These are the domaine's series of Bio wines, as shown clearly on the labels. Like the series of orange labels, the Bio ones are made from négociant-sourced biodynamic grapes, however these wines stand a quality tier above.

While the portfolio’s threefold structure might add some confusion, I believe it well reflects Koji's transparent and honest approach to create and communicate the varoius wines of Lou Dumont.

Additionally, the couple owns 1.5 hectares of vineyards in the Champagne region. A much newer venture for them. The first vintage is currently being vinified, and thus no bottles has reached the market yet. However, the expected size of production is 4,000 bottles.

The art of seduction

During the past 3 years, I’ve had the pleasure to taste quite some bottles from Koji. Each time, I've been blown away by their high quality, but most importantly; personality.

The precision is as sharp as a samurai sword, but it’s something deeper within the wines' unique Japanese-Korean-French DNA that really makes them stand out. It’s hard to put a finger on exactly what that is. For me, there are two recurring cross-points that I find myself returning to whenever I try to explain why these wines are so instantly likeable and somewhat seductive.

Them being, the vivid energy and liveliness possessed in the fruit combined with an incredible match and refined use of (Chassin french) oak. For some, the influence might initially come across as a bit prominent, but once it’s fully integrated, it adds a tantalizing touch of spices that makes the wines, especially the reds, very seductive.

However, on the contrary from the author, Robert Greene's, theories, I believe Koji's art of seduction is way more as it should be; based on intuition.

2023 vintage - barrel tasting

I had the great pleasure of tasting the upcoming 2023 vintage directly from the barrels. All the wines are aged in barriques for a good year and a bit more, and they’re bottled around the time the next vintage has finished fermenting and is ready to take over the space in the stunning cellar room, built from Burgundy’s characteristic limestone.

Whites

2023 Bourgogne Aligoté VV 1908

Sometimes, wine is simply magic — like classical music or fine art, where logic fades and the only thing that matters is what it makes us feel in the moment.

In this case, and every time I’ve had the pleasure of tasting this particular Aligoté, something simply explodes inside of me — like it has some kind of magnetic effect on my senses and goosebumps.

The vines are 100 years old, and the barrels are 100% new. Remarkably, the oak is not at all prominent in the taste, which in my experience is a testament to the exceptional quality of the grapes. Moreover, it seems to have offered the wine the optimal opportunity to breathe and unfold in terms of multiple layers in both textures and flavours.

I could keep going about this, however I’d rather pause on the point being: I believe this wine deserves to be experienced on a “blank slate”. Warm reccomendations, if you ever get the chance.

2023 Côteaux Bourguignons Chardonnay

This wine ages for roughly a year, by a mix of a third new barrels, used barrels, and amphora.

If anyone doubted the potential of whites from the northern part of Beaune — specifically Comblanchien (just south of Nuits-Saint-Georges) — this cuvée serves as solid proof. Take Nicolas Faure as another one. Although this isn’t grand terroir in a classic sense, this wine nonetheless makes a bold impression with its delicate, creamy texture, impressive intensity, and notes of citrus and white flowers, all lifted by a storming minerality and refined acidity.

I’ve been lucky to taste this wine in both the 2020 and 2021 vintages, which were absolutely massive whites too.

2023 "La Violette" Côteaux Bourguignons (Pinot Gris)

Yes, it’s true — Pinot Gris!

But not like you know the variety from Alsace. The grapes for this wines come from a tiny 0.2 ha parcel in Koji’s “La Violette” vineyard, located in the Hautes-Côte de Nuits. Same vineyard where he produces the Bourgogne Rouge "La Violette."

Pinot Gris is certainly unconventional for Burgundy, and the appellation doesn't make it any easier — hence, Pinot Gris can’t be labeled as Bourgogne Blanc, nor can it stand alone on the label. Hence, it’s labeled Côteaux Bourguignons.

It’s a shame because what unfolds is a rich yet razor-sharp intensity of fruit, wrapped in a Burgundian styled elegance. It’s opulent yet balanced. This wine makes a strong case for Pinot Gris in Burgundy, and Koji isn’t alone in recognizing the potential — look to Jeremy Recchione for another brilliant example.

Unfortunately, Koji only produces around 900 bottles of this cuvée annually, but they’re worth seeking out. Both for a gastronomic delight and to broaden your horizon.

2023 Marsannay Blanc "Le Désert"

If you haven’t encountered this cuvée before, it’s because this is a new one from the domaine. The vines on the small 0.5 ha parcel are still very young, and thus, 2023 marks Koji’s first harvest from these Chardonnay vines.

Despite its youth, the wine already shows tremendous generosity with a rich expression. The terroir speaks for itself — and so it should, given how beautifully balanced it is here. This will be an exciting wine to follow the further refinement of.

Reds

2023 Marsannay "En Leautier"

The wines greets me with a bouquet of flowers, followed by intense berry notes, which on the palate are rich and crunchy. This is a serious Marsannay that highlights the terroir’s ability to produce fruit bursting wines of good body and great charm. The wine has passed a total of 40% new oak, which delightfully enhances its' complexity.

2023 Bourgogne Rouge "La Violette"

The first vintage from the "La Violette" parcel (30-year old vines) in the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits was 2022.

Compared to Koji’s Bourgogne Rouge VV (which you might be more familiar with), "La Violette" is more delicate and layered, whereas the VV’s has a bit more body. The difference in expression between these two wines reflects their unique terroirs, as well as subtle variances in the vinification methods. For "La Violette" Koji applies more whole clusters and a gentler extraction.

"La Violette" seems delicately extrovert and vibrant with pure berry notes alongside sweet aromatic florals that are sensually intangled with subtle smoky, meaty nuances.

2023 Bourgogne Rouge VV

There are pros and cons of generic terms. However, I think it's safe to say that they fall short when it comes to describing something out of the ordinary.

Koji’s Bourgogne Rouge defies the ordinary.

The grapes are harvested from two plots with 100-year-old vines in Premeaux-Prissey/Comblanchien, just south of Nuits-Saint-Georges. Not the most prestigious of terroirs, but if you know you know. Maybe the nearby parcel of "Les Retraits" rings a bell.

Nonetheless, this wine showcases an exceptional character. It has a deep berry-galore going on, with a touch of spices from the Chassin barriques (40% new oak), creating a hedonistic sensation that floats over the tongue, asking to be savored rather than analyzed. Sexy, stylish, and aromatic, like a man wearing the perfect Le Labo perfume — again, if you know you know.

2023 Gevrey-Chambertin "La Brunelle"

Koji’s choice to purchase the property from Jean-Marie Fourrier (Domaine Fourrier) becomes entirely clear once you taste the wine from the tiny "La Brunelle" vineyard located in the backyard. It must be a tiny peace of heaven.

The wine shows a deeper, more intense character with an undeniable gear shift. The fruit is utterly concentrated and utterly vibrant at the same time, playful and powerful. It’s a great emotional wine that far surpasses its "Village" designation. Patience will reward you with an unforgettable experience.

Yuzu in the vineyard

Koji’s philosophy and approach in the vineyard are distinctly biodynamic, with a strong focus on enhancing biodiversity both above and below the soil.

This among other includes keeping chickens in "La Brunelle", to help fertilize and aerate the soil of this precious lieu-dit . However, this year is an exception — due to the unfortunate 80% crop loss caused by hail in the springtime and an in generel challenging wet season — the chickens have been relocated from the vineyard, or buffet so to say, to the courtyard.

Whom is staying is however the various fruit trees, including peaches and yuzu, which Koji planted to giver a bit of shade for the vines and contribute to the biodiversity of the soil.

In short, Koji is not only a man with his feet firmly planted on the ground but also a winemaker with his hands deeply rooted in the soil.

2024 vintage - expectations

As you can read in further detail in our Burgundy 2024 harvest report, growers have been struggling with challenging weather conditions, dominated by endless showers during the growing season, making it a tough work to fend mildew in the vineyards and grow organically.

For Koji, the season started in possibly the worst way as hail storms during spring destroyed a significant part of the flowering. This means loss of grapes before there even being fruit.

He showed me the results in "La Brunelle", where each vine was holding an average of two clusters — an absolute minimum compared to 2022 and 2023, where the situation has been more “normal” or at least optimal with six to eight clusters per vine.

The small grape clusters, however, looked delicate and healthy. But for now, only one thing can be said with certainty; 2024 will be limited in terms of quantity. I cross my fingers to be lucky enough to assess the quality when time comes.

And on that note, I hope you enjoyed reading along.

*Small crops from the old vines at the "La Brunelle" vineyard up close.

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