Domaine de Bellene was established in 2005 when several of Nicolas Potel's growers proposed that he take over their vineyards. Nicolas viewed this as the ideal opportunity to realize his long-held desire to control the entire production chain from vineyard to market in order to ensure the highest level of authenticity and quality. The origin of the name "Bellene" comes from the name of the city of Beaune. Centuries ago, the town was called "Belena" of the God of the Sun "Belenos" then "Beaulne" and finally Beaune, which translates the desire to make the estate a reference for the wines of Beaune. In 2006, Nicolas acquired the Domaine located on Faubourg Saint Nicolas in Beaune. Originally a Cistercian abbey built in the 16th century, the cellars and buildings have since been renovated according to very strict environmental standards (following Canada’s Haute Qualité Environnementale regulations). Today, Nicolas integrates the idea of environmental responsibility into all aspects of the estate – buildings, vineyards, cellar work, energy conservation and generation and packaging materials.