Winemaker
Jacques Devauges
Winemaker, Domaine des Lambrays
- Discipline
- Winemaker
- Based in
- Morey-Saint-Denis, France
i. Biography
The work at Domaine des Lambrays is an exercise in reading before deciding. In Jacques Devauges’s hands, the task is to express the Morey-Saint-Denis terroir through the micro-terroirs of its grand cru clos, with the enclosed vineyard treated as a set of distinct parts rather than a single surface. “To be honest, I am a very Burgundian winemaker, in love with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.” Jacques has said.
Training and Lineage
Technical formation in the Côte d’Or begins close to the material: vineyards, cellars, and the accumulated habits of a region where site is the main argument. Jacques Devauges trained at Université de Bourgogne / University of Burgundy, placing his education inside that agricultural and intellectual context. Estate work there requires repetition, observation, and the discipline to make small choices visible only in the finished wine. Devauges entered that rhythm as assistant winemaker at Domaine de la Vougeraie (from 2001), then worked at Maison Frédéric Magnien and Domaine Michel Magnien, where vinification, élevage, and site expression remained the operating questions. The technical director / régisseur / winemaker-director role at Domaine de l'Arlot in Prémeaux-Prissey, Nuits St.-Georges (2011–2015) combined cellar execution with estate management. Devauges then worked in Morey-Saint-Denis as manager at Clos de Tart (2015–2019), another enclosed vineyard where tradition and contemporary cellar decisions meet in practice. Since 2019, he has been director / head of the estate.
The Current Work
Grand cru work at Clos des Lambrays depends on internal distinction. There, Devauges centers the work on that grand cru, reading the clos through a parcellaire lens and attending to variation within its boundaries. The purpose is to understand how each portion of the 8.6-hectare vineyard contributes tone, texture, depth, and structure. The current method is built around separate observation before assembly. Devauges introduced biodynamic farming and divided the 8.6-hectare clos into 11 parcels, each vinified and matured separately. The chai was refurbished with 19 wooden fermentation tanks to support that parcel-by-parcel method, giving the cellar equipment that matches the vineyard division. Gentle handling is part of the same system. Grapes move by gravity through bottling, and the wines are never pumped. Vinification takes place in wooden vats for about three weeks, using indigenous yeasts, keeping fermentation tied to the estate’s own microbial life and pace. The 2019 wine is the clearest marker of this phase of the estate: Devauges’s first complete vintage there, made with the new strategy of splitting the clos into 11 parcels, parcellaire vinification and maturation, organic and biodynamic farming, a new wood regime, and a new way of using whole bunch. Its importance is procedural as much as stylistic: it records how the clos is now read, separated, followed, and brought back together.
Signature
Clos des Lambrays 2019 is the signature wine associated with Jacques Devauges.
Awards and Standing
Recognition includes France's 50 best winemakers ranking, #10 (2023).
Profile updated July 2026
FAQ
Asked of Jacques
What is Jacques Devauges's day job?
Jacques Devauges is general manager and chief winemaker at Domaine des Lambrays.
Where did Jacques Devauges train or study?
Jacques Devauges trained at Université de Bourgogne / University of Burgundy.
What recognition has Jacques Devauges received?
France's 50 best winemakers ranking, #10 (2023).
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