Maxime Cheurlin was only 20 years old in 2010 when he took over this historic estate, located in the heart of Vosne-Romanée. The history of the domaine starts with Georges Noëllat, who was the nephew of Charles Noëllat, once the proprietor of one of Vosne’s greatest domaines, which eventually was split up into parts that eventually formed the vast majority of Domaine Leroy. After George’s passing, his wife took over the management of the estate, eventually passing the domaine down to their daughter Maria Theresa Noellat and her husband Jacques Cheurlin (a Champagne grower) in 1991. Maria Theresa managed the estate until 2009, when she passed the domaine to her grandson Maxime Cheurlin, who runs the estate today. Maxime grew up in Champagne, but took his winemaking studies at the Lycée du Viticole in Beaune with stages at Domaine Emmanuel Rouget (Maxime is cousins with the sons of Emmanuel Rouget) and Domaine Gros Frère et Soeur, before settling at his family domaine.

Even so early into his winemaking career, Maxime has already earned a reputation for his elegant style. Grapes are hand-harvested, 100% de-stemmed (except in a few rare cases where up to 30% of stems may be included), and cool macerated for a few days before fermentation begins (native yeasts only). Maxime prefers the term “infusion” to extraction, so punch downs are rare and gentle. Deeming that the intensity of his terroirs can stand up to new oak, he uses 30 to 100% depending on the appellation and vintage. Aging lasts 14 to 20 months, and the wines are bottled generally without fining or filtration.