I first began purchasing wines from the Domaine in the early 2000s, after being introduced to Burgundy by a remarkable Parisian wine merchant whom I had known for many years.

In the early 1990s, when I was living in Paris, there was a wine shop in my neighbourhood owned by a musician. It was an unassuming shop that I had walked by many times before I stepped in. The owner had invested little in its appearance, but the wines were very well made and affordable. More than that, I noticed how he quietly advised every customer who came in, how to match wine with food, when to drink it or how the winemaker approached their work. He was educating people in the pleasures of wine, helping them look beyond price and discover the importance of maturity, the producer and the occasion.

I became a regular customer, and one day told him how often I was disappointed by the Burgundy I bought. “How do you choose your wines?” he asked. I told him I bought by appellation. He replied, “You really don’t understand how Burgundy works. The key is the producer and how he works in the vineyard.”

Over the next three or four years, he taught me about the producers, their philosophies, their values and their work in the fields. Eventually, when he felt I knew enough, he began selling me bottles that were not displayed in the shop.

I came to understand just how extraordinary this man was. He had earned the trust of some of Burgundy’s finest producers, not through appearances or grand gestures, but through years of visiting them and taking a genuine interest in their work. Like a musician practising his craft, he believed in repetition, repetition and repetition. Gradually, doors opened, and he became recognised by the producers themselves for his knowledge and understanding.

When I moved abroad, I thought it would become difficult to continue buying wines through him and asked whether I might contact some producers directly and mention his name. He simply said I could try.

I was astonished by how many doors opened. After some time, some of the Domaines began granting me allocations and with time, my forged relationship with Domaine Meo Camuzet meant I could start collecting directly from them too.

Looking back, it was this merchant who made that relationship possible. His approach taught me that understanding Burgundy goes far beyond the wine in the bottle; it begins with the people who make it, how they work and what they believe in.

He remains one of the three most remarkable people I have met in my life, for the lifelong passion he instilled in me in wine and showing me how to understand Burgundy.

Auction Details

This is a live online auction with an auctioneer. The auction will take place on Thursday 29 October (starting at 10.30am GMT) at Dreweatts Newbury, but please note all wine and spirits are stored off-site at LCB Eton Park. Bidding is available online, by telephone, by commission bids or in person at Dreweatts. Please contact Dreweatts to register all commission bids or telephone bids by 12 noon GMT the day before the sale.

Browse the auction
Sign up to email alerts

Thinking of selling?
Our specialists can provide valuations on single bottles and entire cellars, as well as advice on starting and maintaining your cellar. For further details or a free auction valuation, please contact:

Dreweatts Wine Department
Mark Robertson | Violette Jongbloed | Emily Clarke | Lucy Dadd
Direct tel: +44 (0) 1635 553 594
Main tel: +44 (0) 1635 553 553
Email: wine@dreweatts.com

Request a valuation