Petit-Roy

Domaine Petit Roy is a small-scale wine estate from the Côte de Beaune, Burgundy. The winery was founded in 2016 by Japanese Seiichi Saito. Before its founding, he studied at the University of Beaune and gained experience at icons such as Armand Rousseau, Jacques Frederic Mugnier and Domaine Leflaive.

He was also involved in the creation of restaurant La Lune in Beaune. A small Japanese restaurant with only about 12 seats at the bar. The atmosphere is intimately cosy and the food insane. These days, it is one of the most successful restaurants in Beaune and you have to make reservations well in advance. 

Seiichi has only 2 hectares of vineyards in production. He farms these entirely according to biodynamic regulations, even though he is not officially certified. He believes it is important for the vine to grow as naturally as possible, but that does not require certification. Besides chardonnay and pinot noir, he also works with aligoté and the relatively unknown variety altesse.

The white grape bunches are destemmed prior to fermentation. The pinot noir, however, is usually used whole. Fermentation is always initiated by natural yeasts. The white wines then mature for an average of 11 months in oak barrels. The red wines mature for slightly longer, 12 to 18 months. The wines are not filtered and/or clarified. Sulphur content is also kept to a minimum. Thus, the pure and natural character of the wine is well preserved. Seiichi's portfolio is diverse and includes both Vin de France and appellation wines. Among others, he produces Savigny Les Beaune, Aloxe Corton, Pernand-Vergelesses and Chorey Lès Beaune.

Domaine Petit Roy may only have a relatively short history, but that does not alter the fact that its wines are of very high quality. Seiichi Saito is someone to keep an eye on! His best vintage so far is 2019.