Le Dôme’s winery is the embodiment of our entire philosophy: if you combine enough passion, skill and foresight, you can make a statement that can challenge even the most hardened perspectives.
By juxtaposing cutting-edge winemaking facilities with raw, natural materials, the forty metre diameter dome-shaped building looks like a spaceship has landed in Saint-Emilion and decided to stay.
Conceived by Jonathan Maltus and designed by award-winning architect Lord Norman Foster, famous for iconic works such as the winery for Bordeaux’s Château Margaux, London’s ‘Gherkin’, Apple’s ‘Cupertino Loop’ and The Reichstag Building in Berlin, visionary winemaking meets visionary architecture.
Sitting amongst some of the most prestigious winemaking estates in the world, Le Dôme might be the latest newcomer but has now become, through its winery and its wines, central to the landscape.
With the aim of creating the highest quality wines from the land around us, we equip our most highly skilled team with the best tools available. 100% custom-designed, Le Dôme is a winery like no other for creating a wine like no other. A six metre wide central atrium is home to twelve precision temperature-controlled winemaking vats and an oenological laboratory; to the sides lie cellars where barrels can be rotated individually for controlled ageing. And with a suite of ‘pods’ integrating conference, leisure and entertainment facilities, Le Dôme offers a combined experience for work, rest and play.
Every past effort in revealing Le Dôme’s extraordinary terroir needs to be preserved, and in true Maltus spirit, we’ve been forward-thinking and resourceful. The building is partially submerged underground, offering natural cooling. Interwoven French oak beams support the domed roof, topped with terra-cotta tiles from the ruin that has made way for the winery, and with a sloping profile in continuity with the surrounding landscape. A bespoke central skylight fills the open space with diffused natural light and keeps winemaking in the spotlight. Le Dôme may be a winery from the future, but yet is right at home in a UNESCO world-heritage site.
Everyone loves to taste, but rarely do we have the ability to taste a wine in such a unique and unified context, invited to engage with the powerful exchange between man and nature. In towards the heart of the building, we can peer down onto where the rhythm of winemaking beats in solid precision. And looking out in every direction, panoramic views give us a chance to appreciate the beautiful landscape and exceptional terroir in which we’re proud to have made history for ourselves.
