(Updated 2.16.25)
And I’m guessing no one has successfully talked you out of it. You’ve booked yourself a stay in Beaune. You’ve studied up on your climats and the Route des Grands Crus. Now what?
For as much as I love Burgundy, the reality is that its very small size, plus a global spike in demand from people with big enough wallets to get what they want, plus a string of very small harvests, have made it truly difficult to visit the way you’d visit most wine regions — which is to say, seeing producers and tasting wines.
To level-set a bit, let’s also be clear: It was never easy to visit domaines in Burgundy, certainly not in the past quarter-century. Aside from a handful of négociants, the region was never disposed to tourism, and so the majority of visits were trade. So, as much as things now are acute, they are not wildly different from the past.
Which is to say, it’s a tough place as a tourist. Here’s how one of the top Burgundy buyers in New York quite aptly put it to his clients:
It is harder and harder to visit the smaller domains, even for members of the wine trade. There had not been an abundant vintage since 2018. Thank goodness 2022 and 2023 were big crops. It was dire. For example – there are growers in Volnay who I have visited for many years and the last few trips they have told me that there is so little wine in barrel that they are not allowing anyone to taste from barrel. 2021 was the worst. There was less wine in 2021 than 2020 and less than 2019. No one wants anyone to taste from barrel this summer. There is hardly any wine in the cellars.
Still not dissuaded? I didn’t think you would be. Because this question keeps coming up I thought I’d compile some helpful suggestions — to provide at least a simulacrum of a wine journey there.
Visiting Producers
The one bit of good news is that a handful of vignerons, acknowledging that tourists are not going away and also — wisely — realizing that fame is fickle and can be fleeting, have begun to invest in what the French call oenotourisme. While this isn’t personally my jam, I appreciate it in the way I also appreciate that California wineries have begun to see hospitality as an important part of their business.
While the old go-to recommendation (not just for me but for said buyer above, and many others) was to book a tasting at Anne Gros, sadly the domaine has stopped doing these. But they do still have guest houses in both Vosne-Romanée and Beaune, and if you’re looking for a simulacrum of a proper home visit to a domaine, this is about as close as you’ll get.
In its place, my top recommendation is usually to go for a tasting at Faiveley, in Nuits-Saint Georges. They have a number of options to suit different budgets and palates, and donate the fees to charity. While, yes, I know you aren’t going to Burgundy to visit a négociant … actually, you are, because that’s who has the wine to conduct tastings, and the best of them are producing remarkable wines. Faiveley in particular I highlighted in The New French Wine for their transformation to a series of mini-domaines and commitment to quality. (Drouhin has done similar, and also offers similar tours. Jadot too, although more modestly.)
OK, I get it, you are a Burgundy lover in the 21st century, dammit, and you want to revel in the beauty of small domaines. Shockingly, there are more than a few places where you can in fact still go visit and taste — the oenotourisme message has clearly resonated, and full props to the BIVB for realizing its importance and organizing around it.
The following list is in no way comprehensive, just producers who I like and have praised, and whose domaines would make for an excellent visit. Again, to level-set, if you’re expecting to traipse through the rows of Montrachet and have producers regale you with tales as they serve you saucisson at a picnic table, good luck with that. Again, Burgundy was never like that. But especially as you move out of the heart of the Côte d’Or, you can find remarkable domaines to visit. The BIVB has in fact compiled a pretty great list.
I would offer my usual caveat about wine tasting in France — the cellar door isn’t a side hustle for vignerons but a major source of revenue, and the expectation is that you’ve come to taste and buy — except in Burgundy, quantities are small enough that you honestly don’t know what will be available. So keep your expectations modest, and your mind and wallet open.
Pablo Chevrot and his family make spectacular wines in Maranges, and are part of the cohort of emerging vignerons who are making Burgundy so wonderful right now. They offer visits, as well as having gîtes to stay in. (Maranges is, remember, the tail end of the Côte and also one of the most stunning parts of Burgundy.)
I am, candidly, stunned that Armand Heitz offers tastings, mais voilà — another high quality producer with terrific holdings in the Côte de Beaune and a wide range of cuvées, including spectacular Bourgogne AC.
f you’re willing to travel a bit south to the Chalonnaise, Château de Rougeon was one of the heroes in my book — deeply devoted to single-parcel aligoté and some exceptional regional wines. The Bouchard family (yes, related to that Bouchard) is doing wonderful work, and if you like Burgundy you can actually drink, here’s your place.
Speaking of the Châlonnaise, Domaine de Villaine does, evidently, offer tastings by appointment. Perhaps the expansion into Rully has provided enough wine. In any case, if visiting Aubert de Villaine’s personal estate isn’t enough for you, I can’t even help you.
Going the opposite direction, to Marsannay, it looks like Charles Audoin, one of the village’s top producers, does book visits by email and phone. This is not unusual, although they say they speak English, which will clear one of the other major hurdles for Anglophone visitors. (Which, good luck going to Napa and doing a tasting in French.)
I don’t know that I’d particularly chase the wines at Château de Pommard, but they have made great strides in quality lately, and more importantly, they have one of the most robust oenotourism programs in the region. If you need a good tutorial on Burgundy from the ground up, this might be for you. It’s much the same at Château de Meursault, which has a wide range of wines if you want to understand AOC nuances, and a wide range of tasting options.
On a much smaller scale, Comte Senard actually offers a full tasting luncheon at their property in Aloxe-Corton. I’m not that familiar with the wines, but this is a great way to experience a proper domaine, and especially in Corton, which is surprisingly unvisited even among Burgundy-philes.
Similarly, Domaine d’Ardhuy offers tastings at their very central location in Corgoloin, with a wide range of organically farmed wines, including their Clos des Langres, a monopole in the CdN Villages.
If you want to get a proper visit and tasting in Vosne, Armelle and Bernard Rion offers an impressive set, with the daughters having taken over the domaine. I haven’t tasted the wines in forever but as their website will indicate, this is not the slick, overproduced part of Burgundy, as you might find at a certain neighbor of theirs who you can always, um, Comte on. Also there’s truffles.
Where to Eat
At some point I’ll probably fill this out more, but tl;dr there’s not like a ton of secret, undiscovered places in Burgundy, which is to say, your list is probably going to be like everyone else’s, and that’s fine. Beaune especially these days is a great place to dine, although don’t underestimate the charms of Gevrey Kebab, my fandom of which is already on record in the first chapter of New French.
If I even have to tell you that you’ll need to call — yes, on the phone — and book in advance, you might want to pause your plans and rebook for Barcelona. Resy (ok Zenchef) has not quite infiltrated Beaune … yet.
Le Soleil (Savigny-lès-Beaune): The latest and certainly the most auspicious and chattered-about arrival of late. From Lola Taboury-Bize, whose family, yes, owns Simon Bize, and who did duty in Paris and at Dillettante (below), bringing chef friends from Paris to create a very chill, Savigny version of that bobo 11ème gastro-energy. Which is to say: The chatter is very deserved.
L’Expression (Beaune): A rec from my buyer friend, who swears by the poulet de Bresse.
La Maison du Colombier (Beaune): The place, more than any other, that vigneron friends like to take me. With good reason — great selection of wines, tapas-y food that delivers.
Caves Madeleine (Beaune): The other vigneron fave, again with good reason. Dig a bit deeper on the list and you’ll probably discover a new talent you haven’t yet encountered.
La Diletantte (Beaune): If you don’t run into a micronégoce knocking back a glass of maceration or a beer here, have you even been to Beaune? Again, totally worth it; remarkable curation and perfect snacky food.
Bissoh (Beaune): It’s now two decades that Miki and Sachiko have been running their Japanese spot right by the Beaune ramparts. They still have access to all the great wines, and continue to demonstrate why Burgundy and Japanese cuisine were made for each other.
La Lune (Beaune): Seiichi doing more of a French-Japanese hybrid than Bissoh, just down the street. A longtime fave of wine nerds, for good reason.
Le Square (Beaune): Haven’t been back in a bit, mostly because they went from bar to full restaurant, but again, you’re likely to see one of your vigneron crushes at the next table.
La Superbe (Beaune): Michelin-starred chef downshifting to counter-style dining. Probably worth going just for the sheer passive-aggression of Michelin’s air quotes around “dining bar.”
Bistrot du Coin (Beaune): Don’t let the name fool you. You’ll get some charcuterie, if that, and consider yourself lucky, And a glass of Mâcon rouge. Then another. The dude next to you makes Échezeaux by day. He’s drinking a beer. Somehow you got here at 8 and it’s now 1 a.m.
Ma Cuisine (Beaune): Haters gonna hate but hey, it still has its epic cellar. Friends are into the digestif list and the roast pigeon, and who am I to disagree.
La Cabotte (Nuits St Georges): The other vigneron fave for those slightly up the Côte, i.e., if you don’t want to drive all the way from Vosne to Beaune. The low-key menu should tip you off to the fact that, really, winemakers on the Côte aren’t in it for the luxury. (Certain exceptions noted.) Also, anywhere that advertises a salle climatisée is ok in my book.
Le Soufflot (Meursault): Personally you couldn’t convince me to spend more than about 15 minutes in Meursault village — the Murisaltiens are reasonably done with your tourist bullshit — but Soufflot has a terrific wine list and the sort of tidy cooking that does right by the wines.
Le Montrachet (Puligny): For when your very rich friend is visiting and wants to cellar-raid on their dime, and you’re willing to let yourself be party to it.