A tasting at Hubert Lamy, in Saint-Aubin

There are appointments one looks forward to all year. The one at Domaine Hubert Lamy, in Saint-Aubin, is among them. As on every visit, I had the chance to taste alongside Olivier Lamy — and, as every time, it was a special, almost magical moment.

What strikes you immediately is the love Olivier brings to his world: his work, his terroirs, his wines. You sense a grower entirely absorbed by his craft, and one who makes a point of passing on that passion — to his guests as much as to his clients. Around the table, a long row of bottles — Bourgogne, Saint-Aubin, premiers crus — and, sitting there, the map of the appellation's climats. A whole landscape in bottles.

The tasting focused on the 2023 vintage, still all youth, but also on several older vintages, going back about a decade, on the estate's finest appellations — its Saint-Aubin premiers crus first and foremost, such as En Remilly or Derrière chez Édouard. Tasting staggered vintages like this is a rare privilege: it lets you gauge how these wines evolve, understand what they become ten years on, and see just how much they gain in depth and complexity over time.

Olivier Lamy is also a tremendous technician. His knowledge of the vine and the soil is impressive — one thinks in particular of his very high-density plantings, now the estate's signature, which push the standard to an uncommon level. To listen to him, to taste at his side, is each time as much a lesson as a pleasure.

Long overshadowed by its neighbours Chassagne and Puligny-Montrachet, Saint-Aubin now stands as one of the great white appellations of the Côte de Beaune — and Domaine Hubert Lamy is surely its most accomplished ambassador. You leave with one same certainty: here, precision never excludes emotion.