Romuald Valot

Romuald Valot works for the grand crus of Burgundy during the week. So come the weekend, our Romuald is in need of recreation, and his preferred playground is Beaujolais. Goodbye absolute rigour and high-stress vinifications... “It’s about getting back to the essential,” says Romuald. “It’s about the wisdom and respect of nature – I am first and foremost a farmer, and my role is to produce in the healthiest way possible and to give the maximum pleasure I can in each bottle. I try to recreate a form of life that is free and wild in the vineyard. (...) it’s the same with the wine, I prefer to have a beautiful parcel classified as a village wine than to vinify a cru wine without soul. I am rather solitary and I work however I like and through observation. Each vintage is a new adventure and experience. And one last thing... Being the son of a winegrower in the Hautes Côtes de Nuits, many people think I work the same way as my father, but that’s not the case – I’m making Beaujolais here, not Burgundy!"