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From Meursault legends to Beaujolais pioneers. 30+ producers defining Burgundy today.

Savigny-lès-Beaune | Côte de Beaune | Biodynamic

Bize stands among Burgundy's most compelling arguments for terroir over appellation prestige. The domaine built its reputation through Savigny-lès-Beaune long before acquiring grands crus, demonstrating that excellence thriFor more on the crus and terroirs of this region, see our 

.beaves in the Côte d'Or's less glamorous corners. Under Chisa Bize's stewardship since 2013, these wines rank among the region's most pristine offerings.

Chisa's path to Burgundy was improbable. A Japanese-born banker, she arrived in 1993, married Patrick Bize, and found herself leading the domaine after his untimely death two decades later. Her "outsider's view," informed by brief studies with Anne-Claude Leflaive, has shaped a distinctive evolution: "Respecting tradition is vital, but simultaneously, we embrace new sensibilities, marrying both worlds."

The vineyard management has transitioned decisively to biodynamics, incorporating Fukuoka-inspired minimalist techniques. Winemaking shows similar restraint: limited cold soaks on reds despite increased whole-cluster use, virtually no new oak for reds, and maximum 30 percent for select whites.

The estate has also nurtured talent that launched notable projects including Chanterêves and Le Grappin.

Though their Corton-Charlemagne and ethereal Latricières-Chambertin command attention, Bize's philosophy shines through entry-level offerings. The Bourgogne Rouge and two site-specific Bourgogne Blancs (Les Perrières and Les Champlains, the latter containing pinot gris) offer immediate access to the house style.

The village Savigny Blanc delivers breadth with precise acidity and curry-leaf aromatics, reminiscent of a scaled-down Corton-Charlemagne. Their 1970s-vine Savigny Rouge provides textbook village expression.

The single-parcel reds showcase Savigny's remarkable diversity. River-adjacent Savigny Les Bourgeots offers ruby-hued, iris-scented profiles. Savigny Aux Grands Liards from clay-rich opposite riverbanks presents darker, earthier character. Savigny Aux Guettes from 1965 plantings interweaves rose petal and spice. Savigny Aux Fourneaux and Aux Vergelesses from Corton's lower slopes deliver truffle-inflected autumnal complexity. Nearby, Aloxe Les Suchots demonstrates how exceptional quality lurks in underappreciated terroirs.

Chisa has introduced modern interpretations honouring both regional natural winemaking and her Japanese heritage. Atatcha pushes boundaries with skin-macerated, unsulphured pinot gris: a distinctive orange wine defined by roasted citrus and umami-rich seaweed notes. Shirokuro offers counterpoint as a blanc de noirs from Les Bourgeots, suggesting red fruits while dwelling primarily in floral territory. Aka, sourced from Les Bourgeots and Les Planchots, delivers traditional Savigny character without sulphur. Shiro, a white from Les Planchots and Godeliettes, demonstrates how minimal intervention harmonises with regional tradition.

Volnay | Côte de Beaune | Organic Principles

Thibaud Clerget represents the return of one of Volnay's oldest families to the front rank of Burgundy producers. The Clergets have been in Volnay since 1268, making this among the region's longest lineages, though quality slipped during the 1990s and wines briefly disappeared after his father Yvon retired in 2009, with grapes sold to Henri Boillot.

After studies at Beaune and apprenticeships at Domaine Drouhin in Oregon and in New Zealand, Thibaud resumed family work in 2015 at twenty-three. His talents were evident immediately, with early vintages establishing him as one of the region's new stars: a fitting return for a stalwart Volnay name in a village that needed new blood.

The wines tend toward sleek and fruit-focused: about 50 percent whole cluster in top wines but otherwise destemmed, with a mix of punch-downs and pump-overs, and ten to sixteen months in barrels for a concentrated but not heavy style.

Even the Bourgogne Rouge, from a parcel near the D974 between Volnay and Meursault, has focused huckleberry fruit and dark mineral. The village Volnay, from two parcels low on the slope, is a perfect appellation snapshot: precise, flowery in its aromas, just fleshy enough.

The Volnay premier cru series includes monopole Clos du Verseuil near Bousse d'Or, showing iron and blood orange amid its floral side. Carelle sous la Chapelle comes from just below Bousse d'Or. Les Santenots is dense with chicory notes. Caillerets offers iodine from old vines. Champans is wound-up with ginger edges.

Pommard Les Rugiens presents subtle crushed violet: a very Volnay take on that village. Clos de Vougeot from the family's 0.3 hectare in Grand Maupertui is wonderfully subtle and musky.

One white, Meursault Les Chevalières from just over the Volnay border, is precise and saline with more concentrated fruit than the super-narrow style now in fashion.

Chassagne-Montrachet | Côte de Beaune | Certified Organic

Vincent Dancer became the first producer in Chassagne-Montrachet to gain organic certification, and has since found a unique position between natural wine enthusiasts and the traditional collectors who embrace his prestigious appellations. His wines appear equally in Michelin-starred restaurants and the néobistro depths of eastern Paris.

Originally from Alsace, Dancer eventually took over family land to build a 5-hectare estate. In the winery: no additives beyond sulphur, no lees stirring, no fining, no filtering, and long ageing (around eighteen months) followed by another six months in steel. Depending on perspective, this represents either deep minimalism or simply the way of good Côte de Beaune vinification today.

The range is predominantly white. Village Chassagne-Montrachet delivers the appellation's quintessential smoky crunch. Chassagne La Romanée, from a little-known climat high near the Chassagne woods, offers broad shoulders. Meursault Perrières is richer than the most rigid modern Meursault but still plenty taut. Chevalier-Montrachet completes the top tier.

Bourgogne Blanc from Meursault and Puligny provides a great junior-varsity snapshot of those two appellations combined.

Chassagne-Montrachet | Côte de Beaune | Organic Principles

Alex Moreau has been properly obsessed with premox, the premature oxidation problem haunting white Burgundy since the late 1990s. Rather than pointing fingers at any single culprit, he recognised the need for wholesale rethinking of Burgundian white winemaking. The result: Domaine Bernard Moreau has quietly risen to the upper echelons of Chassagne production over the past two decades.

Families in Chassagne often trace roots through centuries; the Moreaus have tilled these soils since the 1800s. When Alex took the reins from his father Bernard in 1999, he began measured tweaks informed by neighbouring wisdom and Southern Hemisphere stints.

His move toward longer élevage mirrors Jean-Marc Roulot's approach: twelve months in wood (under 30 percent new) followed by up to six months in steel. His fermentation protocol is equally thoughtful: just enough SO2 at crush to keep indigenous yeasts on reasonable timetable, coupled with deliberate browning of juice early on. Contrary to conventional wisdom, this "bad start" often leads to greater stability. He has dropped bâtonnage, preferring wines find their own centre of gravity over hands-off élevage lasting north of twelve months.

His approach acknowledges what locals know: Chassagne possesses a naturally "flattering, fruity side," meaning early picking alone won't guarantee freshness, just as extended hang time won't deliver complexity. "We're always walking a tightrope. Make wines too lean, too acid-driven, and you've lost what makes Chassagne, well, Chassagne. But let ripeness run the show and you're asking for trouble."

In 2020, brother Benoît departed to launch his own outfit. But the foundation from their twenty-year partnership ensures this remains the Chassagne benchmark.

Even baseline offerings display careful balance. Bourgogne Aligoté and Bourgogne Blanc (from Chassagne's flats) showcase signature tension between freshness and ripe yellow fruit, the Chardonnay leaning into that peculiar heathery, fleshy pear character found in lower zones.

Saint-Aubin En Remilly brings pronounced floral notes and unmistakable stoniness. Village Chassagne, blended from various parcels, offers textbook figgy richness tethered by celery-like snap.

The lineup offers a proper tour of Chassagne's bewildering terroir mosaic. Clos St. Jean, perched above the village, delivers mint-laden aromatics with curious curry-like reduction. Les Champgains, a touch downslope, goes full wildflower with concentrated, chewy apple textures. Vergers, beside St. Jean, presents friendlier, more immediate profile without surrendering complexity.

La Maltroie does the classic flinty thing. Les Chenevottes, from vines planted when Churchill was still in short trousers, contributes chamomile whispers and generous yellow fruit. Morgeot brings salt. Grandes Ruchottes, from vines that saw WWII's outbreak, delivers quintessential Chassagne: flint, cumin, lemon peel in harmony.

Chevalier-Montrachet shows peculiar white miso character alongside eye-watering tension. Bâtard-Montrachet delivers customary depth and staying power.

Yes, they make those too, though they'll never get the column inches of white siblings. Vieilles Vignes is dense, requiring patience or properly fatty coq au vin. La Cardeuse, within sprawling Morgeot, gets stems treatment (roughly half), lending distinctly smoky, stony notes.

Meursault | Côte de Beaune | Certified Organic

Jean-Marc Roulot's signature technique of resting whites in tank for six months post-barrel helped reshape contemporary winemaking across Meursault and the entire Côte de Beaune, marking a decisive shift from leesy opulence toward sleeker, mineral expression. His decisions weren't motivated by premox concerns (a phenomenon not yet recognised then), but proved remarkably prescient: Roulot stands among the handful of producers to largely dodge that bullet.

The estate has long stood apart in Meursault, a village where négociants traditionally wielded considerable clout. The property earned its stripes not through blue-chip holdings but by consistently transcending its vines' supposed station. Until recently, parcels were mostly village-level with just whispers of Perrières and Charmes. Even today, the Roulot mystique draws more from lieux-dits like Luchets (planted in '29), Vireuils, and Clos de Mon Plaisir than from grander premiers crus.

The family has always had to work for its reputation, which perhaps explains why Jean-Marc still feels moral duty to produce wines at accessible price points, hence ramped-up Bourgogne Blanc production. That even his Aligoté now commands silly money says more about market madness than anything in the bottle.

Jean-Marc's father Guy began refining the somewhat rustic approach of his own father Paul, shortening macerations and coaxing more polish. When Guy died unexpectedly in 1982, Jean-Marc wasn't ready for the reins: he was pursuing his acting career (which remarkably continues alongside viticultural duties). A young American named Ted Lemon stepped in, followed by Roulot relation Franck Grux. Jean-Marc returned in 1989, aged thirty-three, but reckons his stylistic vision crystallised only with the 1992 vintage.

This was reinforced the following year when a stubbornly slow-developing Perrières warranted extended steel time: the genesis of his now-recognised signature technique. This experience triggered two crucial decisions: stretching élevage from eleven to eighteen months (twelve in wood, six in steel), and embracing organic practices. Alongside came experimentation with pressing protocols and the realisation that crushing grapes and pressing with liberal oxygen exposure, contrary to prevailing wisdom, actually suited his material.

While premiers crus command attention, immense pleasure exists across the broader range.

Meursault Meix Chavaux, east-facing at Auxey-Duresses' boundary, delivers sinewy power. Luchets shows nearly porcelain-like delicacy and lift: quite the opposite of stereotypical Meursault. Vireuils brings profound bay-leaf aromatics and spice. Les Tessons, Clos de Mon Plaisir (a small Tesson enclave from vines dating to '52) returns to brightness and precision.

Recently Jean-Marc has widened scope with Puligny-Montrachet Le Cailleret, Chevalier-Montrachet, and Corton-Charlemagne from purchased fruit on Ladoix's flank. Red Monthélie makes a compelling case for that overlooked commune.

The family maintains another tradition worth noting: talent for distillation. Paul Roulot was known to serve homemade spirits between courses when meals required thoughtful interlude, as Anthony Hanson memorably described. Jean-Marc continues this sideline, producing exceptional marc and a virtually unobtainable apricot liqueur that has Burgundy's collectors elbowing each other aside.

Pommard | Côte de Beaune | Certified Organic

Fanny Sabre's Pommard faced three rejections from the local tasting panel, puncturing any illusion that Burgundy has entirely shed its conservative tendencies. Yet she has emerged as one of the region's most compelling young talents, willing to colour outside lines while respecting tradition's framework.

Fate reshaped her plans. When her father died in 2000, taking over the family's Pommard estate wasn't on her agenda. But after apprenticing with natural-wine touchstone Philippe Pacalet, who managed vinification during transition, something clicked. Sabre assumed control in 2006, initially from a diminutive Beaune cellar. The real turning point came in 2013 with her return to Pommard, where she began nudging winemaking beyond Pacalet's template.

Her aim: coaxing more distinctive personalities from each cuvée and sidestepping that persistent critique that minimal-intervention Burgundy homogenises terroir expression. Her lack of multi-generational oversight has proven liberating: no grandparents peering over shoulder, no parents questioning methods, allowing refreshing autonomy rare in tradition-bound Burgundy.

The organically-farmed domaine has expanded modestly from inherited 4.5 hectares. Today's holdings stretch beyond Pommard and Volnay to include Beaune, Hautes-Côtes, and Meursault: a portfolio virtually impossible to assemble from scratch given astronomical land prices.

Stylistically, Sabre's evolution reveals a thoughtful winemaker finding her voice. While semi-carbonic maceration dominated during Pacalet's tenure and her early years, from 2013 she reduced carbon dioxide use. Post-2014 marked a shift toward "natural Burgundian vinification": essentially more traditional approach, still anchored in indigenous yeasts and minimal intervention.

Her investment priorities speak volumes. Those impressive Stockinger tronconics aren't reserved for top cuvées but cradle her Bourgogne Rouge: commitment to elevating entry-level wines rather than merely polishing grands crus. Whites see no bâtonnage. Sulphur additions remain minimal throughout élevage.

Her substantial range (often fifteen bottlings) concludes tastings with Bourgogne Aligoté: a deliberate statement about hierarchy. This isn't mere contrariness. Her Aligoté, from a Pommard combe slope opposite La Chanière, delivers remarkable complexity with distinctive celery-water and pear-drop richness. Bourgogne Rouge, fashioned from declassified Pommard, offers crystalline red fruit with that appellation's characteristic savoury undertow.

Most intriguing are table wines from obscure Sainte-Marie-la-Blanche IGP, from flats east of Pommard. Anatole Rouge delivers straightforward pinot pleasure. Anatole Blanc emerges from increasingly fashionable field blend: chardonnay, aligoté, melon de Bourgogne and others, nodding to pre-phylloxera diversity.

The portfolio extends through Savigny-lès-Beaune (both colours), Monthélie Rouge, and various Beaune bottlings including Beaune Clos des Renards in red and white: the latter displaying ripe amplitude from a hill-summit site above Champs Pimont, where pinot blanc joins chardonnay.

Sabre excels with home turf. Village Pommard blends four parcels into something muscular yet never ponderous. Pommard Vaumuriens presents greater generosity and tension with subtle floral inflections. Village Volnay captures rose-petal delicacy and mineral lift. Volnay Mitans balances ferrous intensity with brilliant fruit clarity and unexpected citrus nuances.

Her Meursault work has recently hit stride: canny expansion for a Pommard-based vigneronne whose technique teases out textural complexity without excessive richness. Beyond village Meursault, she produces rarely-seen Meursault Limozin (below Genevrières) and, most impressively, Meursault Charmes.

Cuvée Camille, a pétillant naturel from pinot noir, remains a genuine Côte d'Or curiosity.

Dezize-lès-Maranges | Côte de Beaune | Certified Organic

Fiona Leroy proves that Burgundy, despite astronomical land prices, still harbours opportunity for newcomers who know where to look. She arrived in winter 2017 and carved out a modest 2.7-hectare domaine in the Côte de Beaune's southern reaches, a hotbed for emerging vignerons often unfairly relegated behind glitzier northern neighbours.

Her approach is refreshingly straightforward. Viticulture is organic: enough copper and sulphur to keep vines healthy, homoeopathic treatments when needed, no dogmatic adherence to single ideology. Seasoned oak does the heavy lifting in cellar, with whites and reds fermenting and maturing in barrels long past overt oak influence.

Bourgogne Rouge Les Foultières comes from an odd spot: a west-facing parcel straddling Cheilly-lès-Maranges and Bouzeron. One foot in Côte Chalonnaise, one in Côte de Beaune. This geographical quirk yields a wine caught between worlds, all the more intriguing for it.

Maranges Sur Le Bois draws from 70-year-old vines at the appellation's northern edge, a whisper from Santenay. These old vines deliver the pure cherry notes associated with that neighbouring village. Clos des Loyères basks on a broad south-facing Sampigny-lès-Maranges slope, delivering greater heft and ripeness.

Blanc hasn't historically been Maranges' strength, but Leroy's Au Chêne, on the same slope as Loyères but nudged southeast into Cheilly, suggests underappreciated potential. Her single-parcel Aligoté La Motte sur Chat, next to Foultières in Cheilly, has become something of a calling card, riding renewed interest in Burgundy's other white grape. Hautes-Côtes bottlings round out the range.

Benjamin Leroux pioneered the urban winery model in Burgundy, reconfiguring a Beaune building into a working cellar from 2007 while amassing more than fifty appellations as a small négociant. His style is tidy and clean, and buying land has become his new focus.

Burgundian by birth but not from a grower family, Leroux plied the journeyman trade common to young French winemakers: stints in Oregon, Chile, and Cos d'Estournel in Bordeaux. In 1998, at twenty-three, he was hired to run Domaine du Comte Armand in Pommard, staying fifteen vintages before departing to focus on his own label.

Guide to Burgundy's essential wine producers. Côte d'Or, Côte Chalonnaise, Mâconnais, Chablis and Beaujolais. Organic and biodynamic estates.