DIJON, France, Sept. 23 (UPI) -- Henri Jayer, the French Burgundy winemaker who pioneered the idea that great wine begins in the treatment of the vines, has died at 84.
Jayer retired after the 2001 vintage. He had been suffering from prostate cancer, the Los Angeles Times reported.
"He was among the first to look at the vineyard as the ultimate source of quality," wine critic Allen Meadows said.
Jayer himself said in an interview two years ago in Meadows' newsletter that he pruned "ruthlessly short," because limiting quantity was the first step to a quality wine.
A member of a wine-making family, Jayer began producing wine in the 1950s after inheriting a 7.4-acre patch of vineyard. He earlier received a degree in enology from the University of Dijon.
Jayer was never a large producer, making a few thousand cases a year at most. He became well-known after a U.S. importer brought some of his wine to California, and he also inspired many California vintners, the Times said.
