The talented Mr Wolber. Burgundy's young rising star.
As his name suggests, Bastian Wolber is originally from Germany. Born in Staufen im Breisgau, he had a Waldorf education, based on the educational philosophy of Rudolf Steiner. This was a holistic education designed to foster intellectual, artistic and practical skills with a focus on imagination and creativity.
Wanting to try something different from Steiner, he studied Economics and German tax law – which he soon discovered did not fulfil his desire to create, explore and connect with nature.
Bastian’s introduction to Burgundy came through his younger brother Christoph, who was working at various prominent Burgundy estates. It was during these visits to his brother that his passion for the region (and also the Jura) was born. In particular, Bastian recalls sharing a bottle of wine from Jean-François Ganevat at the natural wine bar La Dilettante in Beaune. Once he was back in Berlin, he found himself visiting every natural wine shop in his neighbourhood, simply just to recreate the ah-ha moment that that bottle of wine had provided.
Soon after, Bastian followed in his brother’s footsteps and began working in Burgundy. He cut his teeth at Leflaive in, then worked harvests with Rudolph Trossen in the Mosel and Jean-Marc Dreyer in Alsace. Things finally came full circle in 2019, when Bastian found started work at Jean-François Ganevat.
In the middle of harvest however, Bastian broke his hand during a skateboard accident and was forced to stop work. Ultimately, the injury turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The injury pushed him to find an alternate way to continue learning and practicing in the cellar. The solution? Make his own wine at Wasenhaus, his brother Christoph’s estate, which he co-founded with Alexander Götze.
Bastian named his project "Laisse Tomber" literally "let it fall", a reference to the accident that started his winemaking adventure, instead of fulfilling his dream of working with Jean-François Ganevat. The label however features a rider falling off a horse. His mother was a horse riding instructor and kept many horses at the family farm. For Bastian, horses symbolize sensibility and soul.
He returned to Burgundy in 2019 and furthered his wine studies at the Université de Bourgogne in Dijon where he pursued a diploma in oenology whilst also working with Jean-Yves Bizot. After sharing a cellar in Auxey-Duresses with Chris Santini, Jonathan Purcell (Vin Noé) and Morgane Seuillot & Christian Knott (Domaine Dandelion), Bastian moved to Volnay where today he has a small estate of 4.5 ha just above Pousse d’Or.
