For One Night Only, Burgundy Goes Hip-Hop
In Burgundy, there’s one spot where every wine lover ends up sooner or later. In 1945, the de Villaine family placed a tall stone cross beside their Romanée-Conti vineyard in the village of Vosne-Romanée. An offering of thanks to God for the end of the war, the cross has since become a site of regular pilgrimage—a symbol of the wine Olympus. Only a handful of people will ev er taste the wine from this revered red vineyard: prices start at €20,000, if you can even find a bottle. But to touch the cross is to narrow, at least symbolically, the distance between dream and reality. A tangible way to reach out to a myth.
In recent years, Burgundy itself has seemed on the verge of becoming pure mythology, forever out of reach. Even the prices of village-level wines have rocketed into the stratosphere, driven by tiny harvests and soaring global demand. Vignerons don’t pick up their phones, and their doors stay shut, opening only for importers and journalists. Bottles are emptied in Michelin-starred restaurants and behind private gates. Yet wine always finds a way to escape its own enclosure—and that’s part of its enduring appeal.
On an October evening, I meet Les Echos journalist Elle Rogosky and her friends by the cross, sharing an aperitif at sunset. We’re heading to the same destination, a few kilometers north: the village of Vougeot and its iconic vineyard Clos Vougeot, created by the Cistercian monks of Cîteaux Abbey in the early 12th century. Over time, they became the first to observe how soil, slope, and microclimate shape a wine’s taste—essentially, they were terroir visionaries. It’s Burgundy’s sacred ground.
At the center of the vineyard stands a château where the monks once lived and made wine. Since 1945 it has belonged to the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, the brotherhood that promotes Burgundy’s wines and holds lavish dinners and ceremonies. An elite, closed world—but tonight, the château doors stand wide open.
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We’ve come to Vin et Hip Hop—the fourth edition of what’s arguably the wine world’s most talked-about event, marking the end of harvest in Burgundy. Through the massive stone archway stride suede boots, fur vests, monogrammed Gucci tracksuits, hoodies, and denim jackets, followed by tweed blazers, black turtlenecks, and cashmere scarves. New Yorkers, Parisians, and Londoners weave from barrel to barrel, where Burgundy’s top winemakers—Dujac, Thibault Liger-Belair, Mugneret-Gibourg, PYCM, Leflaive—pour their Vosne-Romanée, Chassagne-Montrachet for everyone, all to a French-American hip-hop mix sampling Beethoven, Édith Piaf, and Cardi B in a medieval courtyard.
“Usually I see the Château du Clos de Vougeot only during official events—receptions, gala dinners. It has always felt solemn and formal,” says Cécile Tremblay, one of the most sought-after producers in Burgundy. “Seeing it in a hip-hop context, with tastings and dancing among the ancient presses of the Cistercian monks—that’s something new,” On October 25, she’ll return here to be inducted into the Tastevin order. Tonight, she pours her Morey Saint-Denis as DJ Idem drops the beat.
The event is a collaboration between winemaker Jeremy Seysses of Dujac, Bronx-born Jermaine “Wolf of Wine” Stone, and the Hautes Côtes events agency. Seysses, a lifelong hip-hop fan who’s friends with Jay-Z—even name-checked in “Dujac by the mag, that’s how we do wine” from DJ Khaled’s song “Top Off”—teamed up with Stone to make it real, with producer Milena Berman joining soon after.
“Jermaine wanted to try something new, and we also wanted to throw a party—just a celebration,” says Seysses. “Hip-hop felt like an interesting alternative to the usual jazz or classical formats. We wanted it to feel transatlantic and inclusive, since I’m half American and my wife’s American. Mixing historic architecture with contemporary art isn’t new, but you don’t often see Domaine Lafon pouring wine to hip-hop.”
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Wine and hip-hop truly share a lot—the craft, the urge for self-expression, respect for roots, and a spirit of counterculture. It’s fascinating to see Burgundy—so often elitist and out-of-reach—transformed through music. The beats dissolve its stiffness: no need to find the right words for aromas, swirl the glass the right way, or recite terroir details. What replaces that structure is a pure Dionysian celebration, or pleasure itself, which is the essence of wine culture.
Events like Vin et Hip Hop help wine connect with younger audiences, who drink less than previous generations yet make more selective, culturally driven choices. They’re not seeking out wine for wine’s sake, but a Pommard from a cool domaine; not overplayed pop, but sets from top hip-hop artists. The future of wine events belong to gatherings that bridge worlds and celebrate differences.
“I’m surprised by how easy it is for people from different backgrounds to meet, dance, and drink together. That’s what wine should be about,” says Arthur, a young Parisian banker, sitting beside a basketball with a crystal Zalto glass of Gevrey-Chambertin.
Even Aubert de Villaine of DRC dropped by at the end with a bottle of Krug—as if to bless the new generation of Burgundy producers: open-minded, forward-looking, and as inclusive as ever.
More Burgundy Coverage
- Here’s how to visit Burgundy on a budget.
- Speaking of, these are the best Burgundy bottles on a budget.
- Read the story behind restaurateur Drew Nieporent’s most prized bottle: a magnum of Burgundy.
- It’s hard to find a bad white Burgundy, but these ten are exceptional.
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