From the atlas
Domaine Roux
A Saint-Aubin family domaine with organic parcels, broad Burgundy holdings, and cellar experiments that include amphora vessels.
At A Glance
| Field | Detail |
| Founded | 1885 in Saint-Aubin |
| Range | Over 100 red and white cuvées |
| Appellations | Saint-Aubin, Puligny, Chassagne and Meursault |
The Producer
Christian Roux directs Domaine Roux alongside his sons Sébastien and Matthieu. The family owns and operates 70 hectares across Burgundy, giving the domaine a wide spread of vineyards and bottles under one name. It is also one of Burgundy's major land-holders.
The domaine works with both family vineyards and grape purchases. Sébastien and Matthieu have chosen to concentrate much more on the domaine wines and do the best with those, keeping vineyard ownership central to the operation.
Place
Domaine Roux vines run from Mercurey through the southern Côte de Beaune, with wines produced as far north as Chambolle and Gevrey. The range therefore moves across several Burgundy place names and includes both red and white wines.
Saint-Aubin, Puligny, Chassagne and Meursault are the appellations especially associated with the house. An appellation is a defined place name on the label, so these village references distinguish the wines from broader Bourgogne bottlings.
Story
Sébastien and Matthieu Roux made a deliberate change in emphasis within the family business. They decided to concentrate much more on domaine wines and do the best with those, while the operation also works with grape purchases. Domaine wines come from the family's own vineyard holdings, giving this decision a direct connection to the land the family farms and operates.
Vineyards And Cellar
All grapes are harvested by hand at optimal ripeness. Hand harvesting allows the picking team to handle bunches carefully and choose the harvest moment parcel by parcel.
Many parcels are already managed organically. The brothers are considering a stepwise move toward biodynamic certification, a farming system that adds specific preparations and a calendar of vineyard work to organic practice.
The domaine combines traditional winemaking techniques with modern technology. Stainless steel tanks and amphora vessels form part of the cellar equipment, allowing different cuvées to be raised in different vessels.
Wines
The range moves from broader Bourgogne bottles to village and premier cru wines. Bourgogne Pinot Noir La Moutonnière is a Pinot Noir red with polished tannins. The white range includes Bourgogne Les Murelles Domaine Roux, Saint-Aubin Vieilles Vignes, Meursault, Bourgogne Aligoté and Saint-Aubin Premier Cru Jadis.
A premier cru is a classified vineyard level within a village appellation, placed above village wine on the Burgundy hierarchy. The bottles therefore cover several levels of place, while Pinot Noir brings red fruit and tannin and Chardonnay brings acidity and body.
In The Glass
Bourgogne Pinot Noir La Moutonnière opens with rose petal and cherry, followed by fresh turned earth after spring rain. The palate brings vibrant acidity, mouth-watering juiciness and tarter cherry notes, with polished tannins and a good finish. Oak is deftly woven into the dark cherry fruit.
Les Murelles Bourgogne Chardonnay is full, round and buttery without becoming overly sweet. Pronounced minerality and citrus sit alongside yellow apple, nuts, almond and hazelnut notes, giving the wine both richness and a mineral-led finish.
A Bottle To Understand It
Choose Saint-Aubin Vieilles Vignes 2022. This is a Chardonnay from steep vineyards with white clay and limestone at 300 to 350 metres. It is fermented in oak, with 25 percent new barrels, then aged for 12 to 14 months.
The bottle keeps the place and cellar choices specific: one Saint-Aubin wine, one grape variety, white clay and limestone, and an oak ageing program with a defined proportion of new barrels.
Anecdote
In 2015, Sébastien and Matthieu Roux started some wines with ageing only in stainless steel. They found the results rather reductive, meaning the wines showed aromas associated with limited oxygen exposure. The brothers chose amphora as an alternative way to produce some cuvées. Amphora vessels offer a different ageing environment from stainless steel, and the cellar now uses that option for selected wines. The experiment moved from a cellar observation to a concrete change in the vessels used for ageing.
Final Word
Domaine Roux combines traditional winemaking techniques with modern technology across a Burgundy domaine producing red and white wines from broad Bourgogne labels to premier cru Saint-Aubin.
Sources
- https://www.burgundy-report.com/burgundy-report-extra/10-2019/profile-roux-pere-et-fils/
- https://www.hachette-vins.com/guide-vins/producteurs/280/dom-roux-pere-et-fils/
- https://www.mtouton.com/producers/domaine-roux
- https://www.wardwines.se/produkter/saint-aubin-vielles-vignes-556901/
- https://www.nataliemaclean.com/wine-reviews/roux-pere-and-fils-la-moutonniere-bourgogne-pinot-noir-2012/192506
- https://delectable.com/wine/roux-pere-and-fils/les-murelles-bourgogne-chardonnay