Antoine Lepetit de la Bigne has long been one of Burgundy’s most quietly influential forces. He spent eight years at Domaine Leflaive, where he cofounded the École Du Vin et des Terroirs with Anne-Claude Leflaive — an intimate classroom in the Côte d’Or where growers came to deepen their understanding of soil, root, sky, and vine through the lens of biodynamics. After Anne-Claude’s death in 2015, Antoine stepped away from Leflaive and began consulting with a small circle of like-minded growers. One thing led to another, as it does when curiosity meets opportunity. The first vintage of La Pierre Ronde arrived in 2021.
Antoine does not yet farm any vineyards of his own, but the relationships he cultivated over fifteen years of biodynamic consulting gave him access to exceptional fruit from growers who share his philosophy. The wines are unmistakable: bright with energy, rigorous in structure, and pulsing with the clarity of someone who has spent a lifetime listening closely to the earth. Antoine works across barrels, foudres, and amphorae, choosing vessels to serve the terroir rather than impose a house style. All fermentations use ambient yeasts. Minimal sulfur throughout. He is based in Beaune and concentrates on the whites of the Côte de Beaune, with a growing range that now includes Meursault village and premier cru, aligoté from old vines near Corton, and a small amount of pinot noir.
Charmes Dessus is the upper slope of the Charmes vineyard in Meursault, a premier cru site planted with chardonnay in the 1950s. The higher elevation and thinner soils of the Dessus section tend to produce wines of greater minerality and tension than the lower Charmes. The juice is pressed off the grapes and aged for ten months in 33% new barrels. The wine is blended and aged an additional three months in tank.
In the glass, notes of linden blossom, tangerine oil, and marzipan between dark flowing bolts of silk. The restrained new oak lets the terroir lead. There is a weight and seriousness to this wine that reflects both the age of the vines and the depth of Antoine’s understanding of sites like this one.
