Lalou Bize-Leroy (born 1932) is a French businesswoman and

winery A winery is a building or property that produces wine, or a business involved in the production of wine, such as a wine company. Some wine companies own many wineries. Besides wine making equipment, larger wineries may also feature warehouses, ...

owner in the

Burgundy wine Burgundy wine ( or ') is made in the Burgundy region of eastern France, in the valleys and slopes west of the Saône, a tributary of the Rhône. The most famous wines produced here, and those commonly referred to as "Burgundies," are dry red wi ...

region.Clive Coates (1997): ''Côte d'Or: a celebration of the great wines of Burgundy'', p. 528 Bize-Leroy owns the wineries

Domaine d'Auvenay An estate is a large parcel of land under single ownership, which would historically generate income for its owner. British context In the UK, historically an estate comprises the houses, outbuildings, supporting farmland, and woods that s ...

and

Domaine Leroy Domaine Leroy is a vineyard estate which produces red Burgundy. The domaine has always produced biodynamic wine, and is certified by ECOCERT.Henri Leroy Henri Leroy (12 December 1887 – 17 July 1960) was a Belgian footballer. He played in 18 matches for the Belgium national football team The Belgium national football teamfrench: Équipe nationale belge de footballgerman: Belgische Fu ...

's (1894–1980)

négociant A winemaker or vintner is a person engaged in winemaking. They are generally employed by wineries or wine companies, where their work includes: *Cooperating with viticulturists *Monitoring the maturity of grapes to ensure their quality and to dete ...

business.Neal Martin: Producer Profile: Domaine Leroy, Wine Journal From 1974, she was co-managing the Burgundy winery

Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, often abbreviated to DRC, is an estate in Burgundy, France that produces white and red wine. It is widely considered among the world's greatest wine producers, and DRC bottles are among the world's most expensive. I ...

(DRC), one of the world's top wine estates, and was in charge of marketing. Along with

Aubert de Villaine Aubert de Villaine is a social economist and co-owner of the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti; he served as the Domaine's co-director from 1974 to 2021, stepping down to an advisory role in 2022. Some of the world's most expensive wines are produce ...

, Bize-Leroy helped build DRC's top wine

Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti is an ''Appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (AOC) and Grand Cru vineyard for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, France, with Pinot noir as the primary grape variety. It is situated within the commune of Vosne-Ro ...

into one of the most sought after wines in the world. A series of disagreements, including Bize-Leroy's displeasure at de Villaine's involvement in the

Judgment of Paris Judgement (or US spelling judgment) is also known as ''adjudication'', which means the evaluation of evidence to decision-making, make a decision. Judgement is also the ability to make considered decisions. The term has at least five distinct u ...

wine tasting Wine tasting is the sensory examination and evaluation of wine. While the practice of wine tasting is as ancient as its production, a more formalized methodology has slowly become established from the 14th century onward. Modern, professional w ...

and disputes over Bize-Leroy's handling of the distribution of the Domaine's wines, led to her being ousted in 1992. After leaving DRC, she has focused on her own domains. By 1988, she had acquired significant vineyard holdings for Domaine Leroy. During the 1990s, she established Domaine Leroy as one of the leading Burgundy wineries.

Personal life

Bize-Leroy married Marcel Bize (d. 2004),in 1958 and they have one daughter Perrine Fenal. Bize-Leroy also had a sister Pauline Roch (1929-2009).

Wine philosophy

Bize-Leroy is a strong believer in

biodynamic wine Biodynamic wines are wines made employing the biodynamic methods both to grow the fruit and during the post-harvest processing. Biodynamic wine production uses organic farming methods (''e.g.,'' employing compost as fertilizer and avoiding most p ...

production, and practices it in her domaines.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Bize-Leroy, Lalou 1932 births Living people French winemakers