History
Background
The Grivot family was originally from Jura and moved to the Vosne-Romanée region in the 17th century. During that time, a mixture of crops were grown, with vines and wine being the predominant activity. The fields were worked to feed horses and the vegetable garden to grow food. The standard of living was improved by selling blackcurrants. There was also a forge and a cooperage for maintaining tools and barrels.
While the vineyards in our region were planted back in Roman times, real success in our Burgundy vineyards wasn’t achieved until the Burgundy canal and railway line were built, in 1832 and 1849, respectively.
First generation
Our family settled in Vosne-Romanée in the mid-19th century with Joseph Grivot. His son, Gaston Grivot, bought a parcel of Clos Vougeot in 1919. He was a proud man and he built some impressive entrance gates to the vineyards, still admired to this day. He belonged to the first generation of winemakers and trained at the University of Dijon in the 1920s.
Gaston Grivot married Madeleine, the daughter of Émile, known as Etienne, a great winemaker in Nuits-Saint-Georges and founding member of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin. He was also one of the pioneers of estate bottling in the 1930s, following the 1929 financial crisis.
Gaston and Madeleine’s son, Jean, also studied at the University of Dijon and is a second-generation oenologist. All these generations of winemakers have experienced great adversity: the phylloxera crisis, issues controlling crop disease and economic crises. Jean has always acknowledged that things improved greatly in the late 1950s.
The estate today
Étienne, Jean and Yvonne Grivot’s son, joined the family estate in 1982, after studying at Beaune wine school, in California and with other French winemakers.
An open mind and the desire to do things properly led him to evaluate winegrowing practices. Everything came under the microscope: pruning, soil enrichers, soil balance, harvest dates, pre-fermentation maceration, fermentation temperatures, barrel ageing, research into sustainable biocontrol crop protection. In short, he did everything within his power to produce full-bodied, smooth, precise wines with a juicy/sappy style.
His mission to produce glamorous, punchy wines with energy and resonance, improved their ability to travel better and evolve in perfect harmony. Jean and Etienne contributed to the estate’s international renown and the family bought the Richebourg parcel in 1984.
Mathilde & Hubert: the future
Mathilde and Hubert, Etienne and Marielle Grivot’s children, made the decision from a young age to take over the family estate.
Etienne and Marielle never wanted to force their children to take the helm, it was their choice, and they’ve been there since 2010. With the experience they acquired at Beaune wine school, in other wine regions in France and elsewhere, Mathilde and Hubert have brought their knowledge and ideas to the estate.
They imparted a fresh energy and reinforced the modern/classic vision we see today int the wines. They continue to uphold the delicate balance of rigour and passion – no mean feat. They took over the family estate in 2022.