Burgundy's Hippie Agro-Alimentary Gadfly
La Maison Romane is the micro-négoce of Oronce de Beler, a true Burgundy personality who produces wine, beer, cider, eggs, pork, and charcuterie from a 13th century house in the heart of Vosne-Romanée and, since recently, a new (old) estate in the centre of Nuits-Saint-Georges. Oronce's path to wine was unconventional: after working in advertising for la Revue des Vins de France in Paris, he quit in 2004, enrolled in wine school in Beaune, and in 2005 — with fellow aspiring winemaker David Juillard — began buying grapes and making wine. The name "La Maison Romane" comes from the local name of the very old house in Vosne-Romanée where he rents his cellar and living quarters — a 16th century building with magnificent vaulted cellars anchored in the rock. Oronce buys organic and biodynamic fruit from old vineyards across the Côtes de Nuits (Vosne-Romanée, Gevrey-Chambertin, Fixin, Marsannay), Hautes Côtes de Nuits, Hautes Côtes de Beaune, Chablis, and Mâconnais, selecting growers he trusts without imposing specifications. He plows some parcels himself with draft horses — Prosper and Quatro — and designed custom walk-plows for biodynamic and organic growers through his former business Equivinum (sold in 2016). In the cellar, his approach is hands-off but full attention: 100% whole-cluster fermentation, indigenous yeasts, no pumping (gravity racking only), minimal topping-up (every two months rather than weekly, to reduce oxygen exposure), no added SO2, no fining, no filtration. He seeks finesse, purity, and femininity in his reds — aerial, light, refined — and minerality and energy in his whites. The malolactic fermentation often begins under the press or even before pressing, a phenomenon he attributes to the absence of sulfur. His wife Victorine works for Pain Vin & Compagnie and assists with grape sorting and charcuterie. Together they raise Corsican and Gascon pigs in the woods above the vineyards, make artisan ham and saucisson, bake sourdough bread with ancient grains, and brew beer and cider. Oronce's wines are described as "hippie, slightly rebellious, with an intellectual glow" — from the same school as Cossard and Pacalet but less controlled, more on the wild side, with occasional volatile acidity that adds spice rather than flaw. As he states: "I'm not trying to make the best wines in the world. What interests me is that my wines provoke emotions."
From Advertising to Draft Horses & Pigs
Oronce de Beler was not born into wine. He worked in advertising in Paris for la Revue des Vins de France from 2001 to 2004 — selling ads, not making wine. But the magazine exposed him to the world of Burgundy, and he became increasingly fascinated. In 2004, he quit his job, enrolled in wine school in Beaune, and by mid-2005 was looking for employment at a winery. When no position materialised, he and fellow aspiring winemaker David Juillard decided to make wine themselves — buying grapes rather than land, becoming micro-négociants in the most expensive wine region on earth [^111^].
The breakthrough came through Jeremy Seysses of Domaine Dujac, who told Oronce that his family had bought parcels they didn't want to vinify immediately. Oronce and David found themselves with exactly what they needed: a Villages wine and a Premier Cru. Oronce named his négoce La Maison Romane after the 16th century house in Vosne-Romanée where he rents his cellar — a building with magnificent vaulted cellars anchored in the rock, dating from the 13th century, that had remained untouched by renovation [^111^][^117^].
But wine was only the beginning. Oronce's encounter with Nicolas Joly deepened his interest in biodynamics and the energy of living soil. He began raising draft horses, designing custom walk-plows for biodynamic growers through his business Equivinum (sold in 2016), and raising Corsican and Gascon pigs in the woods above the vineyards. Today, La Maison Romane is not just a winery; it is an agro-alimentary ecosystem — wine, beer, cider, charcuterie, bread, eggs — all produced with the same hippie glow and good vibes [^111^][^112^].
"I'm not trying to make the best wines in the world. What interests me is that my wines provoke emotions."
— Oronce de Beler
Vosne-Romanée, Gevrey & Beyond
Oronce does not own vineyards. He buys organic and biodynamic fruit from growers he trusts across the Côtes de Nuits, Hautes Côtes, and beyond. Key parcels include Vosne-Romanée Aux Réas (in conversion to organic, ~55 year old vines), Gevrey-Chambertin La Justice, Marsannay Les Longeroies, Fixin Les Clos (55 year old vines on stony limestone), and a Mâcon parcel at Château de Berzé where he farms one hectare of Gamay, picking in two runs 15 days apart [^111^][^108^].
Oronce's relationship with his growers is based on trust, not specifications. He does not impose a cahier des charges — he believes no one knows better than the grower how to tend vines and soil. What matters is that the parcel is farmed organically and that the soil is plowed. He buys just enough grapes to make a few barrels, works with 10 pickers, fills 25 boxes, and has the whole day to carefully sort and vinify in perfect conditions. He also plows some parcels himself with his draft horses, Prosper and Quatro [^111^][^118^].
The fruit comes from old vines — 40, 55, 80, even 90 years old — on classic Burgundian soils: limestone, clay-limestone, stony terroir. The Côte de Nuits Villages comes from Comblanchien (Les Loges), with 80–90 year old vines on clay/limestone. The Hautes Côtes de Nuits comes from Arcenant. Each parcel is vinified separately to preserve its distinct voice, and Oronce's selection prioritises organic farming, old vines, and growers who share his respect for living soil [^108^][^111^].
A parcel near Vosne-Romanée in conversion to organic certification, with vines around 55 years old. Oronce buys just enough grapes to make two barrels. The soil is plowed, the farming is organic, and Oronce trusts the grower completely — no specifications, no interference. The result is a Vosne-Romanée of seducing fruit, meat juice notes, and velvety texture — feminine, aerial, and refined.
Oronce plows some of his growers' parcels himself with draft horses — a Percheron named Prosper and another horse, Quatro. He began with draft horses in 2005, selling his Harley Davidson to buy a Percheron. Through his former business Equivinum, he designed custom walk-plows for biodynamic and organic growers, including Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. The horses are not just tools; they are part of Oronce's philosophy of working with living energy rather than mechanical force.
From 55 year old Pinot Noir on stony limestone terroir in Fixin. Compared to the charming Marsannay, Oronce describes this wine as "sharper, more cistercian" — a wine of structure and mineral tension rather than easy fruit. The parcel makes just over one hectare, but Oronce picks only a portion, enough to make four casks. Old vines, stony soil, and Oronce's hands-off vinification produce a wine that is distinctly terroir-driven.
A one-hectare parcel of Gamay at Château de Berzé in the Mâconnais, where Oronce picks in two runs usually 15 days apart to achieve optimal maturity. Vinified whole-cluster but not carbonic — some fermentation takes place inside intact grapes, with gentle pump-overs and minimal aeration. No pigeage except at the end of fermentation. The result is a Gamay with southern warmth, gentle fruit, and surprising delicacy.
Hands-Off, Full Attention, Trust Nature
Oronce's cellar work is defined by a paradox: hands-off, but full attention. He believes that while 95% of the energy is spent in the vineyard, the central work takes place during vinification. You may farm biodynamically, but if you don't vinify correctly, you'll miss the point. His approach is minimal intervention with maximum awareness — observing, trusting, and allowing nature to do its work without forcing it into a predetermined shape [^111^].
All reds are 100% whole-cluster fermented with indigenous yeasts. There is no carbonic maceration, but some fermentation takes place inside intact grapes. Gentle pump-overs with minimal aeration. No pigeage (foot-stomping) except at the very end of fermentation — when the juice reaches 995 density, what an enologist would call the end, Oronce calls the beginning. He stomps the grapes to release some sugar and keep fermentation going, then stops when he begins to feel tannin. This long, quiet fermentation is the key to the wines' delicacy and finesse [^111^].
Oronce adds no sulfur at any stage. The malolactic fermentation often begins under the press or even before pressing — a phenomenon he attributes to the absence of sulfur, which would otherwise "break the life force" of the wine. He tops barrels only every two months rather than weekly, realising that frequent topping brings oxygen and increases volatile acidity. Racking is done by gravity or by pushing wine out of the cask — never with a pump. Bottling uses a 4-spout gravity filler. The result is wines of less than 10 mg/L total SO2 — "more on refineness than on extraction," as Oronce describes his ideal Pinot Noir [^111^][^112^].
The Cumulation of Small Details
Oronce describes his winemaking as "the cumulation of small details" — each seemingly minor choice adding up to a wine that is unmistakably his. No sulfur, which allows malolactic to begin early and preserves the wine's life force. Whole-cluster fermentation, which adds spice and structure without heaviness. Minimal pigeage, which keeps tannins gentle. Infrequent topping, which reduces volatile acidity. Gravity racking, which preserves the wine's integrity. Long, quiet fermentations that continue past the point where conventional winemakers would stop. A 4-spout gravity filler that bottles without agitation. Old barrels from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti that carry the memory of great terroir. And finally, patience — Oronce rarely tastes his wines during élevage, preferring to discover them when he tastes the barrels with professionals. "The basic enology principle is to trust Nature and you don't have accidents," he says. "You don't do great things if you don't have trust, if you want to have control on everything." This trust — in the grower, in the grape, in the yeast, in the barrel, in time — is what makes La Maison Romane's wines so distinctive. They are not controlled; they are allowed.
Hippie, Rebellious, Intellectual Glow
La Maison Romane has become one of the most distinctive names in Burgundy natural wine — not through polish or precision, but through personality, emotion, and a deliberate embrace of imperfection. Wine critic Steen Öhman describes the wines as "hippie, slightly rebellious, with an intellectual glow that says: We care, but don't always show it!" They are from the same school as Philippe Pacalet and Jean-Yves Péron (Cossard) — low-sulfur, whole-cluster, hands-off — but "much less controlled and sometimes quite a bit more on the wild side." Minor errors and imperfections are acceptable; volatile acidity is often present, adding spice rather than flaw [^112^][^120^].
Oronce's wines are exported to Japan, Denmark (Domaine Brandis, on the list at Noma), Norway, Spain (Vila Viniteca), and beyond. In France, they appear at Septime, Spring, and La Dilettante in Beaune. But the heart of La Maison Romane remains local — the 13th century house in Vosne-Romanée, the pigs in the woods, the draft horses in the vineyards, the sourdough bread baked at home, the charcuterie hanging in the vaulted cellar. This is not a commercial operation; it is a way of life [^111^].
What makes Oronce unique is the breadth of his vision. He is not just a winemaker; he is a designer (of plows), a farmer (of pigs and horses), a baker (of ancient-grain sourdough), a brewer (of beer and cider), a charcutier (of ham and saucisson), and a philosopher of fermentation. His wife Victorine, originally from Toulouse, works in wine communication and assists with sorting and charcuterie. Together they have created something rare in Burgundy: a holistic, agro-alimentary project that refuses to separate wine from food, farming from craft, tradition from rebellion [^111^][^113^].
"What counts at la Maison Romane is the cumulation of these small details."
— Oronce de Beler
The La Maison Romane Range
All wines are made from organic and biodynamic fruit, hand-harvested and carefully sorted. 100% whole-cluster fermentation, indigenous yeasts, no added SO2, no fining, no filtration. Gravity racking, minimal topping, long quiet fermentations. The range spans village-level Burgundy from across the Côtes de Nuits, Hautes Côtes, and beyond, plus beer, cider, and charcuterie produced in-house [^108^][^111^].