It’s all a question of balance. It’s always a question of balance.

Aubert de Villaine’s office in Vosne Romanee has a wonderful view of the hill-side of his legendary Domaine de la Romanee Conti. Aubert will point out, If you are lucky enough to be received by him, the balance inherent in the view. Closer to the window, further down the slope, is Romanee Saint-Vivant. Up the hill, beneath the trees that crown the summit, are premier cru vineyard such as Les Petits Monts and Aux Reignots. But in the middle, following an invisible contour line, are the vineyards that lie at the heart of his estate: Richebourg and La Romanee Conti. You don’t have to be a geological expert, or use scientific instruments, to understand why you’re looking at hallowed ground. Not too high, not too low. Not too steep, not too shallow. The middle ground. The sweet spot. A question of balance.

On another hillside, many miles further north of Burgundy, lies (for reasons too complicated to go into here) my family’s burial ground.