Mosel Meets Montrachet: Germany’s Ernst Loosen Launches Burgundy Wine Project

It’s a collaboration of Mosel and Montrachet. Acclaimed German vintner Ernst Loosen of Weingut Dr. Loosen in the Mosel Valley has launched a new wine project in Burgundy. Wines from Perron de Mypont, a boutique négociant business, will debut in June in the United States.

Why Burgundy and why now? “I always loved Burgundy,” Loosen told Wine Spectator. “I was there [for] the first time in 1985 when I did a stage [or internship] and then slowly this idea grew. Why not? And, you know, in the last 40 years, I’ve met a lot of producers, you know. So since 1990, 1991, I visited every year all the top producers—Dujac, Rousseau, Leroy, even Romanée-Conti.”

A Négociant and Collaboration

Loosen has partnered with Burgundy native Manoël “Manu” Bouchet, a former barrel salesman who is currently co-chairman of the strategy and prospective department with the trade group Bureau Interprofessionel des Vins de Bourgogne (BIVB) and is also chairman of the Institut Jules Gayot at the University of Dijon. Bouchet helped develop new barrel-making techniques with the university.

The partners share the same philosophy about the style of Burgundy they like: tension in the wines, not too much oak, a reflection of the site and vintage and a profile that appeals to both seasoned collectors and younger wine drinkers. To that end, they are aging their wines in both Burgundy pièces (228 liters) and larger barrels of 400 to 600 liters, employing little to no new oak and no bâtonnage. They plan to age the wines on the lees—Loosen has experimented with lees aging regimens throughout his career.

Based at the Vieux Château de Puligny-Montrachet, their Perron de Mypont will offer a Bourgogne Blanc and Bourgogne Rouge under its Maison range and a series of villages and premiers crus reds and whites under its Edition range. They source the wines from growers as grapes, juice, must and finished wines, with vinification and aging at a custom crush facility in Beaune.

“The global context in Burgundy has changed a lot over the past 10 to 15 years,” said Bouchet. “So when I wanted to start with Erni, we thought that being a négociant was the right way, the right strategy to get into the game. And being a négociant gives you access to several layers of sourcing. It’s super exciting. But on the other hand, it’s tough. You have to be very pragmatic.”

A Historic Homebase

The project began in 2019, when Loosen purchased part of the Vieux Château de Puligny-Montrachet. A Dutch friend of Loosen’s owned half and convinced Loosen to buy the other half, giving him a foothold in the region and a base for the new project.

The de Mypont family were aristocrats in Puligny for four centuries until their property was confiscated in 1388. Sixty years later, Jean Perron, a lawyer from Beaune, acquired the property and adopted the de Mypont name. He built the Vieux Château, completing it in 1530.

[article-img-container][src=2025-05/ns_vougeot-vineyard-052725_1600.jpg] [credit= (Courtesy BIVB) ] [alt= Burgundy’s the Côtes de Nuits village of Vougeot.][end: article-img-container]

Loosen and Bouchet met in 2010, when Loosen Bros. USA began importing Nicolas Potel’s Domaine de Bellene and Maison Roche de Bellene. Bouchet oversaw the négociant side of Potel’s business and worked together with Loosen and his U.S. team for 12 years.

“And when we met [again], he said, ‘No, I’m not with [Potel] anymore.’ And we thought, ‘Why are we not using this foundation of the Vieux Château to start our own négoce business?’” Loosen recalled. “And I thought, if we build our own thing, we have the channels and the contacts, and Manu knew a lot of these contacts because he always came to the U.S. visiting our customers. It was logical and I needed somebody in Burgundy.”

Loosen is no stranger to wine collaborations outside his native Germany. In 2000, he partnered with Washington State’s Chateau Ste. Michelle to create an off-dry Riesling called Eroica. In 2005, he began making Pinot Noir in Oregon with Jay Somers under the J. Christopher label. A few years later he purchased 40 acres in the Chehalem Mountains, calling the new vineyard Appassionata.

Bouchet says the pair know it’s a challenging time for wine, but they’re too passionate about Burgundy to hold back. “When we were talking about the project at the very beginning, I told Erni, ‘Do you realize this is the worst timing ever?’” said Bouchet. “He said, ‘Yes. Let’s go. Let’s go for it.’ It’s the worst timing because you have this post-COVID situation, inflation, the economic and geopolitical problems and the tariffs and so on. It’s super challenging. But so far we’ve had a lot of fun.”

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