A New Generation of Winemakers in Burgundy: Bastian Wolber of Laisse Tomber and Loïc Lamy of Saisons

In the most simple manner Bastian Wolber can be described as everything great happening with new wave Burgundy. But his story is definitely not simple, and nowhere near traditional when it comes to vignerons in Burgundy. 
Bastian was born in Staufen im Breisgau, Germany and after studying Economics and German Tax Law he switched gears with the drive to create, explore, and work with nature. While Bastian was studying, his younger brother moved to Burgundy and began working with Bernard van Berg, Domaine Leflaive, Comte Armand, and Domaine de la Vougeraie before partnering with Alex Götze and forming Wasenhaus in 2016. Over the years Bastian had visited his brother in Burgundy and on one of those trips had an ah-ha moment with a bottle of Ganevat. Soon, Bastian started working harvests in Burgundy with Leflaive, as well as in the Mosel, and Alsace he immediately knew he wanted to make his own wine one day. 
In 2019 Bastian was apprenticing at Ganevat, his dream! However, in the middle of harvest he broke his hand in a skateboard accident and was therefore unable to assist in the winery. That year he returned home disappointed but determined to continue on his dream, he purchased organically-farmed grapes from France and Germany and made wine at Wasenhaus, naming his project “Laisse Tomber” meaning “let it go/let it fall” referring to his accident. Since 2019 was such a small production, Bastian returned to Burgundy to further his studies at Université de Bourgogne in Dijon while simultaneously working alongside Jean-Yves Bizot where he still works today.   Determined to farm his own grapes, he obtained a parcel of Pinot Noir from the Côte Chalonnaise in 2020 and in 2021 purchased 3 more parcels in Baden. These wines are playful and fun, yet show incredible restraint. There is a great balance of ripened fruit and more earthy, savory notes. As each vintage is made Bastian is adding new bottlings, expanding his portfolio and continuing to prove his pure skill as a vigneron. 

Saisons is a micro-negociant started by friends Eric Pignal and Loïc Lamy in 2019. Eric was previously the assistant winemaker at Chateau de Pommard and has previously worked at Domaine Dujac and Roulot. Loïc Lamy is the export manager for Domaine de Montille and runs the event company Hautes Cotes with wife Milena Berman. Haute Cotes creates cultural events in Burgundy such as Vin et Hip Hop which I got to attend this past fall; bringing hip hop music to the Chateau de Clos de Vougeot. An event celebrating both the wine culture of Burgundy as well as hip hop music. This was the second year of the event and it is an understatement to say that it was a huge success. Now back to the wines…  since 2019 Eric has gotten a new job as the chief winemaker at Simon Bize (a Chambers Street favorite) and Loïc is now running this very small estate with the help of his wife Milena. For scale, in 2023 (a plentiful vintage in Burgundy standards) just 3000 bottles were made! These wines are elegant, expressive, and charming. I have been lucky to enjoy wines from Saisons since the inaugural 2019 vintage and I have always been so impressed at how stunning these wine are year after year. Considering how new they are to the scene, the wines are making quite a splash and for good reason!

-Hanna Krilov