There are few white wine producers in Burgundy—or anywhere—more revered than Hubert Lamy. The family has tended vines since 1640, but it’s under Olivier Lamy’s stewardship that the domaine has become one of the most thrilling names in the region. Working largely in Saint-Aubin—a once-overlooked appellation now prized for its altitude and cooling winds—Olivier has proven that greatness doesn’t always reside where tradition says it should.
Saint-Aubin’s cooler slopes, funneled by a dramatic combe, offer the kind of natural air-conditioning that today’s warmer vintages desperately need. In Olivier’s hands, this terroir becomes electric. He pushes boundaries in the vineyard, planting at dizzying densities—30,000 vines per hectare—forcing the roots to dive deep and struggle in competition. The payoff is immense: chardonnays that are pure tension and grace, etched with stony precision and luminous energy.
Fermented and aged in large-format barrels with minimal new oak, the wines are never dressed in wood. They speak fluently in the language of their site—steep, rocky, cool. Farming is meticulous and organic. And the wines? They’ve become some of the most coveted in Burgundy, snapped up by those who understand that elegance born of hardship is the most beautiful kind of reward.
Derrière Chez Édouard Haute Densité stands apart as one of the most radical and revealing wines in Olivier Lamy’s cellar. Planted at extreme density, the vines are forced into competition, driving roots deep into limestone and sharply limiting yields. The result is a wine defined less by generosity than by line and compression. In 2023, the wine opens with tightly coiled citrus, green apple skin, and crushed chalk, carrying a cool, almost steely intensity from start to finish. The palate is narrow and focused, marked more by acidity and mineral grip than supple qualities. Derrière Chez Édouard Haute Densité is uncompromising, built on structure and site above all else, with depth and persistence that confirm its stature as premier cru at first sip.
