Aubert de Villaine

Coming Up

Training at Dijon placed Aubert de Villaine inside the Burgundian frame before his work widened through roles as an employee at Frederick Wildman Importers in United States and then as an employee at Almaden Vineyards in California. The later record is tied to one of Burgundy’s most closely watched domaines: at Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, he served as co-director (1974–2021). In Paris, he was also a judge at Paris Wine Tasting of 1976 in Paris (1976), a tasting that forced serious reassessment across the trade. The current work remains split across estate, direction, and counsel. Aubert is owner and operator of Domaine de Villaine, director of HdV (Hyde de Villaine) Wines, and holds an advisory role of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti (since 2022).

Where They Are Now

Proprietorship at Hyde de Villaine in Napa Valley, California, keeps de Villaine’s work in direct contact with terroir-led interpretation and Traditional French winemaking. The role is expressed through decisions around vineyard and cellar practice rather than through a fixed style claim. The advisory role at DRC, held since 2022, follows the co-directorship from 1974 to 2021. In trade terms, that makes the present title a continuation of accumulated domain knowledge, not a separate chapter.

Signature

The signature association is with Romanée-Conti wine and Domaine de la Romanée-Conti wines, where provenance, site, and long institutional continuity define the reference point more than an individual bottling flourish.

In Their Words “We thought we had a monopoly on the production of great wines. The 'loss,' gave us a kick.”