Stars of Burgundy Shine at Decanter Man of the Year dinner

Aubert de Villaine was officially crowned as Decanter’s 2010 Man of the Year at a star-studded dinner in London last night. De Villaine has been the director of Burgundy’s legendary Domaine de la Romanée-Conti since 1974, having started working there ten years previously. He is also the winemaker.

The event, hosted by DRC’s UK agent, Corney & Barrow, was attended by a roll call of some of Burgundy’s greatest wine luminaries. Among them were Lalou Bize-Leroy, Hubert and Etienne de Montille, Pierre-Henry Gagey, Frédéric Mugnier, Jacques Seysses and François Faiveley.

Other guests included Christian Moueix, Serena Sutcliffe MW of Sotheby’s, Jancis Robinson MW, Anthony Hanson MW, John Armit, Michael Broadbent MW and Martin Gold of DRC’s US importer Martin Scott Wines.

Sarah Kemp, Decanter’s publishing director, told de Villaine that the award had been made for his leadership role in Burgundy.

‘You represent all that we admire in Burgundy. If the reputation of the region has never been higher it is to you that we must give a great deal of thanks.’

She went on to hail de Villaine’s ‘integrity, devotion to the land and unceasing quest for quality’, through which ‘you have inspired us, you have inspired your neighbours’.

‘You are the father of modern Burgundy, but a Burgundy that has not followed modern fashions or global commercial expediency and a Burgundy that is a byword for artisanship, terroir and authenticity,’ she said.