Burgundy Winemaker Guide

Burgundy Winemaker Guide

Abelanet, Eric

The Domaine Abelanet is one of the young stars of Pouilly-Fuisse. The family has been making wine since the 1800’s. Eric has now been at the reins of his ancestral estate since 1993.

Aufauvre-Bouley, Jean

This is a true “mom and pop” outfit. Jean Aufauvre and his wife, Natalie, are like elf people in their 400-year old home in the center of this prestigious wine town. They sell all of their wine out of their charming home – all, that is, except 10 – 15 cases of each wine which they export to me.

Belland, Jean Claude

Jean-Claude is a special winemaker. Just soak in his philosophy about making wine on his modest estate. He looks for quality fruit, the expression of the unique characteristics of each individual vineyard, and finesse… all in the context of making a truly balanced wine.

Billard, Gabriel

Laurence has gained great acclaim as one of the best oenologists in France. She has been the head winemaker for the Joseph Drouhin family for over 20 years. While she has retired from her “day job”, her passion still continues with the wines from her personal family estate.

Bouzereau-Gruere, Hubert

Hubert has been the principal winemaker in the family since 1970. He is from Meursault and he married a woman, Marie-France, from Chassagne-Montrachet. Together, they have 4 daughters. Hubert is the 7th generation in this family that is steeped in tradition.

Camus, Hubert

Hubert Camus is the master of the grand cru. In fact, he makes almost exclusively grand cru wines from Gevrey-Chambertin. And he also owns the largest holdings of grand cru vineyards in this world-renowned town. So, he is known for incredible wines.

Clerget, Christian

Christian and Isabelle Clerget personify traditional Burgundy. Their secret is simply that they are blessed with some of the finest plots of land in Burgundy and they have learned to personally work this land so that it produces the absolute best fruit possible for making wine.

Colombe, Chene

The Domaine Chene Colombe is a family estate located in the northernmost part of the Macon region, just south of the Cotes Chalonnaise. The 3-hectare vineyard is planted entirely with Chardonnay on south-facing slopes at an average altitude of 200 meters.

Gardet, Charles

This small Champagne house was founded in 1895 by Charles Gardet. His son, Charles, was born in that same year, 1895. Charles further developed the business, and in the 1920’s moved it to its current location in Chigny-Les-Roses, which is in the prestigious Montagne de Reims, just south of Reims.

Jobard, Claudie

Laurence Jobard has gained great acclaim as one of the best oenologists in France. She has been the head winemaker for the Joseph Drouhin family for over 20 years. While she has retired from that position, she remains very active in the winemaking for her familial estate.

Joillot, Jean Luc

Jean-Luc’s father drove a Chrysler car (Jeep Cherokee) when he was alive; so he was nicknamed “l’americain” (the American) by the other winemakers. Now, Jean-Luc drives a similar American car. He and his lovely wife, Lydia, like America and enjoy all things that are american. Most of the time when I go to France, I stay in their home. It’s very special.

Jouard, Paul

Paul Jouard is the 7th generation winemaker in this storied family. He has been making the family wines since 1992. He is a throwback to the Burgundy winemakers of old. When we visited him last March, he was late for the rendez-vous because he was trying to maximize his time pruning the vines in the vineyards.

Lachaux, Pascal

Pascal Lachaux has been making the wines at the famous estate of the late Robert Arnoux since the great 1990 vintage. He is, after all, Arnoux’s son in law. The Arnoux wines come from some of the world’s most sought-after vineyards – Romanee Saint Vivant, Clos de Vougeot, Echezeaux, Nuits-Saint-Georges, and Vosne-Romanee.

Leclerc, Francois

Rene Leclerc says he does not want to make technical wine. Instead, he wants to make wine from experience. Rene has been making wine under his own label since the mid 1970’s. Today, he is one of the best known and most highly respected craftsmen in Burgundy. He simply makes great wine year in and year out.

Leclerc, Rene

Rene Leclerc says he does not want to make technical wine. Instead, he wants to make wine from experience. Rene has been making wine under his own label since the mid 1970’s. Today, he is one of the best known and most highly respected craftsmen in Burgundy. He simply makes great wine year in and year out.

Pajzos, Chateau

Chateau Pajzos is located in the heart of the world-famous Tokaj vineyards. In fact, it is one of the few properties to be accorded “First Class” status under the 1804 Classification — a status it enjoys today.

Parent, Anne

One of the most respected and well-known winemakers in all of Burgundy, the Domaine Parent moved from Volnay to Pommard in 1803. One of their early customers was Thomas Jefferson, who brought these wines back to America to share with our forefathers. Anne’s ancestor, Etienne Parent, was Jefferson’s personal advisor, friend, and confidant.

Patriarche, Alain

The key word for Alain is PASSION. The man is passionate about Meursault, one of the most famous white wine towns in the world. He is passionate about Chardonnay, which he feels gains its greatest expression in the Cote de Beaune region of Burgundy.

Servin, Francois

Francois makes wine because he loves to make wine. He uses old-world traditions and also benefits from modern technology. Francois feels that the winemaker is more important than the barrel maker. He says that making wine is an art, whereas so many people reduce it to a science. The Servin family traces its roots in Chablis all the way back to 1652.

Tortochot, Chantal

This is one of the most respected families in all of Burgundy. Since the 1800’s, the Tortochot family has been making quality wine in Gevrey-Chambertin. These Tortochot wines are not widely available in America, but those who know them really like them.

Touzot, Jean

The potential of the Touzot estate has been recognized for years. In June 1996, the Revue du Vin de France acclaimed the Touzot Macon Villages as having fine acidity and a lively expression of terroir and fruit. But more importantly, RdVF stated that this Macon Villages departs from the “general surrounding mediocrity” of the other wines of the region. Very high praise, indeed!


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