Legendary winemaker turns global spotlight on Burgundy’s vineyards

The French winemaker whose prestigious Romanee-Conti is one of the world’s most expensive wines has helped put the vineyards of his beloved Burgundy on the global map of cultural landmarks. Aubert de Villaine, a reserved 76-year-old, took up the mantle to get the Burgundy region’s unique wine-growing tradition onto the Unesco World Heritage list. That effort succeeded in July and led to his being named a 2016 “man of the year” by the monthly French Wine Review.