Presentation
The Domaine Hoffmann-Jayer is located in Magny-lès-Villers between Beaune and Nuits-Saint-Georges in the Hautes Côtes of Burgundy. The special nature of the Domaine's situation arises from its unique position, at the point where the Hautes Côtes de Beaune and the Hautes Côtes de Nuits meet.
Today, Domaine extends over 10 hectares, producing primarily red wines, notably those from the Côte de Nuits: Echezeaux Grand Cru "Echezeaux Du Dessus", Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru "Les Damodes", Nuits-Saint-Georges Village "Les Hauts Poirets", Côte de Nuits-Villages. In addition, the Domaine is renowned for both red and white Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune and Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits.
History
Founded in the 1950s, following a marriage between two winemaking families, one from Vosne-Romanée and the other from Magny-lès-Villers, Domaine Jayer-Gilles is located in Magny, in the Gilles family home, which dates from 1886. As with most farms established in the post war years, polyculture was the norm.
- 1958
- 1961
- 1970
- 1991
- 1998
- 2017
Birth of Andre Hoffmann in Basle, Switzerland
Birth of Gilles Jayer in Burgundy
During the 1970s Robert and Pauletter Jayer moved the Domaine exclusively into grape growing and wine making, thanks to the development of mechanisation and the installation of their own wine making facilities at the Domaine. Their wines are distinguished by their excellence.
Giles Jayer joins his parents and they become partners in Domaine Jayer - Gilles.
Gilles Jayer takes over management of the Domaine. He builds a solid reputation in the world of wine as a result of his talent as a winemaker and his open minded approach to wine making. Thanks to his passion for wine and his love of the village where he was born, Magny-lès-Villers, he is one of the pioneers of his generation, promoting the Burgundy Hautes Côtes de Beaune and Nuits appellations by producing wines with a remarkable intensity and great ageing potential.
Having no descendants, but committed to ensuring the continuation of his life's work, Gilles Jayer sells his estate to André Hoffmann, who shares his passion for vines and wines.
Today, André Hoffmann is the owner of Domaine Hoffmann-Jayer and it is Alexandre Vernet, a young Burgundian chosen by André, who is the new manager and winemaker.
Philosophy
"A great wine begins in the vineyard"
Starting from this principle, work in the vineyard and respect for the soil are our priority. All our activity in the vineyard reflects our respect for the vines, their grapes and the soil. All our faculties of observing, listening, and touching are used to understand the differences in the environments of our plots. Each has their own unique expression and each brings together the mysterious diversity of terroirs, which makes Burgundy so special.
The terroir is a combination of 4 main factors: the soil, the plant, the environment and man. Imagine plots, next to each other, planted in different directions, separated sometimes by walls, sometimes by hedges, subjected to a different exposure of the sun and different prevailing winds ... textures and structures of soil that can change from one meter to the next ... these are the factors that combine to affect the vines differently and therefore give each one its own identity.
If, in the past, the concept of managed cultivation was the vision of the vineyard, today our desire is to be closer to the plant, to support the soil, and be more respectful of the environment. It is essential to put energy and life back into the earth, to give back to the vines all their natural vigor and their capacity to self-perpetuate. Our goal for the future is to stop using unnatural additives. Therefore, the stimulation and well-being of the vine is our priority.
In the cellar, great respect for the grape is our first priority. We follow a non-interventionist approach leaving each wine to express itself... thus, going from regional appellations to the Grand Cru, we approach vinification and ageing in the same egalitarian manner, according to the expression of each individual cuvée.
The Team
Behind every vintage, there is teamwork. Our philosophy would be nothing without the men and women who join together and work all year round, each and every year to carry out the work in the vineyard and cellar.
Although occasional workers and pickers are also employed to meet our labour needs in the vineyard, we rely on the expertise of our permanent staff who know the individual nature and history of each vineyard.
Since 2017, Alexandre Vernet, a young Burgundian winegrower, leads the wine making team at Domaine Hoffmann-Jayer.