10 Producers You Should Know to Get Into Burgundy

Even casual wine drinkers know the name Burgundy: The rightfully famous region produces world-class expressions of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Beyond tasting the area’s starchild grapes, the best way to understand why drinkers are so obsessed with Burgundy is by sampling wines from a range of producers whose varying terroirs and preferences encapsulate the locale’s identity.

Sure, Burgundy is largely untouchable in the world of fine wine, as bottlings from Burgundian producers and domaines often carry high price tags. But the luxurious region also offers a suite of entry-level and widely accessible bottles that give consumers the chance to taste wines from the region without any belt-tightening.

These producers may not be the most talked about from the region, but they’re the unofficial starting point for the average consumer. Despite its buttoned-up persona, Burgundy is rich in exciting producers pointing to its future. Here are the 10 producers that early or new Burgundy drinkers should know.

Maison Louis Jadot

Maison Louis Jadot is the definition of accessible Burgundy. Louis Henri Denis Jadot founded the house in 1859 as both a grower and a négociant firm. Its status as a négociant is what propelled the maison to cover appellations across Burgundy and achieve the wide-ranging appeal it enjoys today. Found in most wine stores — from ordinary to niche to luxury — Louis Jadot is an unmissable brand in the U.S. market thanks to its bold, baroque-style labels. It produces an introductory line of reasonably priced wines from plots across Burgundy, and the span offers drinkers a chance to taste the diverse Burgundian terroir in a relatively affordable manner. Its portfolio includes wines from Côte de Beaune, Côte de Nuits, and Chablis, among other famed subregions. Also in its lineup are a number of Premier Cru and Grand Cru bottlings, allowing the Burgundy-curious to dip their toes into the region’s more prestigious classifications.

Domaine Marquis d’Angerville

Domaine Marquis d’Angerville earned a name for itself in the 1920s when it began making and bottling its wine on-site. At the time, convention in Burgundy was for négociants to handle the winemaking and packaging — but the Marquis d’Angerville disapproved of the négociants’ way of producing wine, and the domaine became a pioneer for grower-producers. Now, Domaine Marquis d’Angerville displays the classic Burgundy style — it’s well known and largely works with Pinot Noir. The house’s cheapest bottlings average just below $200, and while that price point may not sound cheap, for a region that accounts for the majority of the world’s most expensive wines, $200 is affordable. The domaine operates out of vineyards in the Côte de Beaune subregion where it owns eight Premier Cru vineyards in the Volnay village. The climat — the region’s term for a specific plot of land — Clos des Ducs within Volnay is a monopole of Domaine Marquis d’Angerville and home to the vines that produce some of its most luxurious expressions.

Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey

Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey — otherwise referred to as PYCM among drinkers in the know — is helmed by perennial-favorite vigneron Pierre-Yves Colin. Pierre-Yves Colin is the son of Marc Colin, the famed producer who cemented Saint-Aubin as a prestigious village after founding Domaine Marc Colin in 1970. The PYCM estate grows its crop and crafts its wine in Chassagne-Montrachet, just one village over the elder Colin’s estate. After working for seven years as a sort of apprentice to his father, Pierre-Yves Colin and his wife jump-started their own venture in 2003. In addition to operating as a grower-producer, PYCM also sources its grapes from other vineyards within the Côte de Beaune sub-region.

Domaine Simon Bize

Domaine Simon Bize in the Savigny-lès-Beaune village is a favorite among contemporary sommeliers. Four generations of the Bize family have led the brand since its inception in 1890, but the domaine truly garnished its image as a prestigious winery under the leadership of Patrick Bize, the great-grandson of its founder. His death in 2013 thrust his wife, Chisa Bize, and his sister, Marielle Grivot-Bize, into leadership roles. Chisa began to implement biodynamic practices in 2008 at the domaine’s Les Serpentières plot, where she continues to experiment with different vinification styles. The property runs along the Rhoin, a river that horizontally bifurcates Savingy-lès-Beaune. Domaine Simon Bize splits its crop between the northern and southern portions of the village, diversifying its terroir. Altogether, the house runs six Premier Cru plots, though no Grand Cru ones.

Domaine Lafon

Dominique Lafon is an icon of modern Burgundy. He took over his family’s estate, Domaine des Comtes Lafon, in 1984. It was at his family’s domaine where Lafon’s wines became some of the most sought-after Burgundy expressions. In 2008, he parted from his family to launch his own label, Domaine Lafon. Now, he biodynamically farms vineyards across the Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Volnay, and Beaune villages. Lafon produces bottles known for their balanced structures and lively flavors with a preference for the energy and minerality of wines made from grapes grown on high-altitude plots.

Domaine Roulot

Helmed by Jean-Marc Roulot, Domaine Roulot is located in Meursault, where it has operated since its founding in 1820. Jean-Marc’s father, Guy Roulot, established the estate’s reputation for producing the high-caliber wines for which it is known today. Jean-Marc inherited control of the estate in 1989 and, shortly after, introduced organic farming practices. In a region known for its world-class Chardonnay, the domaine is acclaimed for its distinguished take on the grape. Jean-Marc prefers the zippiness of younger fruit, erring on the side of a too-early harvest for risk of picking too late. After fermentation, Domaine Roulot’s wines endure a roughly 18-month-long élevage period: They rest in barrels and on the lees for one year, followed by six months in stainless steel vats. The result is a strong, structured, and energetic expression unlike most Burgungian Chardonnays.

Benjamin Leroux

Many top-tier wine producers in Burgundy come from winemaking families with long-standing, prestigious lineages, but Benjamin Leroux is not one of those. Coming from a family of Beaune-based florists, Leroux felt his calling to a career as a vigneron while in his teens. He attended a viticulture-focused high school and later trained under winemakers in Burgundy, Oregon, Bordeaux, and New Zealand, including Louis Jadot. He worked at the famed Domaine du Comte Armand in the Pommard village, and, after 15 years there, launched his independent label in 2007. It now doubles as a domaine and négociant, and his grapes and the purchased grapes span the subregions Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits. Leroux stands out among other Burgundian producers for his attention to detail and reluctance to cater to mass appeal.

Domaine Bachelet-Monnot

Domaine Bachelet-Monnot is another new-to-the-scene estate in Dezizes-les-Maranges in Côte de Beaune launched by brothers Marc and Alexandre Bachelet in 2005. The pair manages some of the most elite vineyards across the subregion, covering a number of villages including Saint-Aubin, Maranges, Santenay, Puligny-Montrachet, and Chassagne-Montrachet. Though Domaine Bachelet-Monnot is a relative newcomer, the brothers Bachelet prove that up-and-coming winemakers can produce classic, finessed wines.

Domaine Leflaive

In a region lauded for its Chardonnay, it makes sense for so many producers to favor the grape. But Chardonnay isn’t just part of Domaine Leflaive’s portfolio — it’s the only grape it grows. That doesn’t seem to negatively impact Domaine Leflaive. Now helmed by a descendant of its founder, Domaine Leflaive has been in the family for four generations. Brie de La Morandière, the current owner, led the estate to its status as a trailblazer in biodynamic viticulture, preferring a pure expression of terroir over a doctored-up wine. Domaine Leflaive’s plots are in Puligny-Montrachet, where 20 percent are of Grand Cru status and another 45 percent are Premier Cru.

Domaine Rougeot Père et Fils

Even a region as classic as Burgundy wasn’t immune to the touch of the natural wine movement. Domaine Rougeot Père et Fils, founded in the 1970s, is a forward-looking winery situated in Meursault directed by Pierre-Henri Rougeot, an eighth-generation Burgundian vigneron. Rougeot encountered several natural-leaning winemakers while working as the export manager at a cooperage. He met and learned from vignerons in the Loire and Beaujolais, two epicenters of the natural wine movement, leading his wines to balance the finesse of conventional bottles with the verve of low-intervention expressions.

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