Not long after purchasing vineyards in the late 1960s and releasing his first wines in the early 1970s Jacques Seysses became an international icon. His respect for the terroir of the Côte d’Or is still on display in his viticultural practices and innovative winemaking methods. Today, the estate is transitioning from one generation to the next, with Jacques’ children now managing the estate.

Since 1986 Domaine Dujac has been in lutte integer, a viticultural regime that combines practices from organic farming, biodynamics and IPM. Certified organic since 2011 and utilizing some biodynamic practices, they seek to preserve a natural and varied ecosystem. They plow the vineyards mechanically to avoid using weed killer and occasionally use organic compost to promote microbial activity and maintain soil nutrient balance.

Trying to blend what he admired in traditional winemaking with modern techniques, Jacques developed his own proprietary protocol that was considered revolutionary at the time. A leading advocate of including a good amount of stems in the fermentation process, his belief was that the mature stems actually reduced the amount of hard tannins in the resulting wine. After being lightly pressed in a pneumatic press, the wines are transferred to the cellar by gravity, where they will spend 14 to 18 months in oak barrels. Elevage plays a key role in refining the tannins, which is why they use a significant proportion of new wood.