Lamy Legacy: Pillot, Hubert, & Caillat in White Burgundy

From 1640 onward, the Lamy name was quietly rooted in Saint‑Aubin, with ancestral vines passed from generation to generation. Long before Domaine Hubert Lamy became a benchmark for St. Aubin, there was Jean Lamy. From the late 60’s through the early 1970s, Jean and Hubert jointly managed roughly 8 hectares of mostly regional appellation vineyards in Saint‑Aubin. These were traditional plantings, modest in scale and style, shaped by family-inherited parcels and simple viticultural traditions—reflective of a time when terroir-driven winemaking was still taking root. Yet it wasn’t until 1973 that Hubert Lamy propelled the legacy forward by founding Domaine Hubert Lamy, drawing upon a modest one‑hectare parcel inherited from his father and a few leased plots from relatives.

Early on, Hubert demonstrated a keen eye for overlooked terroir, acquiring Puligny‑Montrachet “Les Tremblots”—then partly fallow—and planting it to Chardonnay. Over the next two decades, he expanded the estate to around 14 hectares, focusing on Premier Cru and village vines.

The next chapter began in 1995, when Olivier Lamy joined after training with Méo‑Camuzet and absorbing insights from Henri Jayer. Within a year, the domaine ceased selling bulk grapes to negociants and strategically culled lesser sites to concentrate on quality terroir. Olivier’s boldest vineyard move came with high‑density planting—notably in Derrière Chez Édouard, reaching 28,000–30,000 vines per hectare in the early 2000s—aimed at intensifying concentration and terroir expression.

The jewel in the crown came in 2014, when Olivier finally acquired the Criots‑Bâtard‑Montrachet Grand Cru plot from the Perrot family—after nearly sixty years of leasing. Today, the estate spans 18.5 ha across 20 appellations, including Saint‑Aubin, Chassagne‑Montrachet, Puligny‑Montrachet, Santenay, and a tiny 0.05 ha Criots‑Bâtard parcel.

Lamy-Pillot: A Parallel Path

In 1975, a parallel story unfolded when René Lamy, from the same Saint-Aubin ancestry, married Thérèse Pillot—herself descended from a Chassagne‑Montrachet family with roots to 1595. Together they founded Domaine Lamy‑Pillot, planting vines in Chassagne‑Montrachet. Through sustained effort and strategic acquisitions, the domaine grew to approximately 16 hectares, spanning Chassagne‑Montrachet, Saint‑Aubin, Santenay, Meursault, and Beaune. This includes about 9 hectares owned outright and several leased plots from extended family, totaling around 16 hectares  . Over time, that figure rounded up to roughly 20 hectares, reflecting further estate consolidation and rental extensions  Its crown jewel is a prestigious Le Montrachet Grand Cru parcel in Chassagne‑Montrachet.

From 1998, their daughter Florence, married to Sébastien Caillat, joined the domaine, and by 2004, their other daughter Karine, married to Daniel, followed. Florence and Sébastien took charge of winemaking, while Karine and Daniel managed operations—ensuring continuity and enabling gradual expansion of holdings as production scaled.

Lamy‑Caillat is Born

Domaine Lamy‑Caillat began thanks to a generous offer from elderly neighbors in 2008: the couple—Sébastien Caillat and Florence Lamy—were invited to rent approximately 1.2 to 1.5 hectares of premier parcels in Chassagne‑Montrachet, including Les Champs Gains, Les Caillerets, La Romanée, and a village vineyard (Pot Bois)  .

These terroirs were integral, micro-scale holdings that complemented their desire for an artisanal, terroir-driven project, allowing them to establish the Lamy‑Caillat micro-domaine on their own terms. Their first wines were vinified in Lamy‑Pillot’s cellar before launching under their own space.

Philosophy Comparison

Winemaking philosophies across these estates reflect both shared heritage and distinct approaches:

• Hubert/Olivier Lamy combine tradition with radical innovation. Their high-density planting, organic (though uncertified) viticulture, minimal-intervention cellar, use of large barrels, extended fermentations, and experimentation with closures emphasize precision, freshness, and minerality.

• Lamy‑Pillot maintain focused purity, crisp fruit and flinty minerality, often favoring used oak and gentle, traditional vinification. Their holdings in Le Montrachet and other Premier Crus allow a stylistic elegance and consistency rooted in heritage.

• Lamy‑Caillat take a boutique, terroir-driven stance—small volume, hand-harvested, minimal intervention— distilling the Lamy-Pillot philosophy to new heights.

Timeline

• 1640: Ancestral Lamys in Saint-Aubin begin cultivating vines.

• 1973: Hubert Lamy launches Domaine Hubert Lamy with 1 ha from family holdings and leases.

• Mid‑1970s: René Lamy marries Thérèse Pillot; Domaine Lamy‑Pillot begins in Chassagne.

• 1980s–1990s: Hubert expands to ~8–14 ha; adds Puligny‑Montrachet plot.

• 1995: Olivier joins Hubert; reforms vineyard practices, eliminates negociant sales.

• 2000s: High-density planting in Derrière Chez Édouard yields richer, precise wines.

• 2014: Olivier purchases his long-rented Criots‑Bâtard‑Montrachet plot.

• 2000s onward: Lamy‑Pillot expands across multiple appellations; daughters and sons-in-law assume control.

• 2008: Lamy‑Caillat project initiates; small parcels and independent label emerge.