Makers & Shakers...

The son of legendary winemaker Jean-Jacques "Jacky" Confuron, Jean-Pierre launched his career working for his family's domaine in Vosne-Romanée (Domaine Confuron-Cotetidot). After studying enology first in Champagne and then in Burgundy, he worked as a consultant to the famed Chateau de La Tour in Clos de Vougeot while continuing his father's legacy at the family's estate. He is a lecturer in viticulture and winemaking at the Lycée Viticole de Beaune and an active member of the Union des Oenologues de France.

In 1999, after Bollinger asked him to conduct a study of Chanson's vineyards, he developed and implemented a program to improve growing and winemaking there. A member of an elite Burgundian family and an esteemed winemaker in his own right, Confuron developed partnerships with some of the best growers in Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits.

"The most important thing in Burgundy," Jean-Pierre likes to remind Burgundy enthusiasts, "is respect for the land. Whenever we have visitors here, the first thing we do is to take them on a tour of the vineyards before visiting the cellar. You should see the terroir before you taste the wines."

"We do not treat the soil in any manner. This is how we maintain the natural bacteria and yeasts that make the terroir of Burgundy so distinctive." Like his father before him, Jean-Pierre is known to immerse himself in the vats to "push down the caps." "Not many do it like this anymore," he explains. "But it's the best way to carry out the pigeage gently" and to ensure the proper extraction.

The 2003 vintage will be a historic one, he affirms: "August was very hot and we picked the grapes early-the whites after the reds." These wines have great potential for aging, he says, "but you can open them now. They are more 'open' than the 2002 vintage."