Marcel Moreau originally developed this domaine in the 1960s. His son Bernard Moreau took over in 1982, pioneering estate bottling and the separation of the various premier crus into individual cuvees. However, it was when Bernard’s sons Alex and Benoit arrived in the early 2000s that Domaine Bernard Moreau really began to acquire a serious following. Alex handled the winery, Benoit managed the vineyards, and Bernard Moreau became known for some stunning wines in a very contemporary white Burgundian idiom. bright, tense, mineral, and full of energy.

We saw Antoine Jobard this year for a change. He is gradually taking over more responsibility for the wines. The wines had just been racked and put onto their fine lees for the second winter in cask. The `07 harvest was finished in early September and the grapes came in with a high malic content, which will stand them in good stead from a structural point of view, and the natural alcohol was around 13%. The ripeness of the fruit combined with the high acid levels means that the wines are balanced and have good richness.

Cyprien Arlaud has the natural confidence of a man at the top of his game. He has been making the wines at Domaine Arlaud since 2001 and, as he sees it, he is now reaping the benefits of his early switch to organics, followed swiftly by biodynamics. He also puts in prodigious amounts of work in the vineyard, and the domaine employs considerably more vineyard workers than any of the near neighbours.

Tasting over the last few years I have never been in any doubt that Ballot-Millot is one of the finest white wine domaines in the Cote de Beaune. From his cellars in Meursault, Charles Ballot fashions a set of wines that invariably brim with verve, tension and energy. He is the 15th generation of his family to front the domaine, so perhaps it shouldn’t be too surprising that he knows what he is doing. Nor he is afraid to innovate; his wines are very much in the modern mode, lean and elegant, with a deliberate touch of reduction.

Stephane Tissot – at the domaine named after his parents, Andre et Mireille Tissot – has become the world’s most widely-known ambassador for the wines of Jura. This small, mountainous region looks across the Saone Valley to Burgundy’s Cote d’Or, but has its own very distinctive vinous heritage and traditions.

Amelie Berthaut is one of the leading lights among a new generation of growers, and since she took over in 2012, she has turned a relatively obscure family domaine into a hot property. She is also credited with putting her home village of Fixin back on the map; while it was widely overlooked until recently, in the 19th century Fixin was considered to have parts the equal of Gevrey-Chambertin. Amelie inherited an impressive array of vineyards from her parents, and has since managed to expand her reach further.

Fabien Moreau says his goal is to make `the most classical Chablis possible` - and the way to achieve that is `through a balance between ripeness and tension`. Domaine Christian Moreau was only officially constituted in 2002, but in reality is the culmination of six generations of work and history. Quality is always outstanding here, and the wines offer the epitome of the `oyster shell` character habitually attributed to Chablis; they are mineral and intense, tangy, structured, sometimes austere but always elegant.

Dominque Lafon officially retired in 2021, after 37 years making wine at Comtes Lafon. He had been the first generation of the Lafon family to become a farmer and grow the grapes he vinified, and he was one of his generation’s leading lights in organic and biodynamic viticulture. Domaine des Comtes Lafon has been on the scene since the 19th century, and already enjoyed a reputation for outstanding whites when Dominque took over. Which in no way stopped him from ramping things up further, quite some distance!

Arnaud Mortet, his sister Clemence and their mother Laurence make a close and formidable team, dexterously managing the multitude of small plots at this top family domaine. In Arnaud’s words. ‘Before being made in the cellar, the wine is made in the vineyard with supple and impeccable soils, which allow the vines to take root deeply. I thank my father and my grandfather who understood all this a long time ago’. They gave up on most chemicals long ago, and rely on indigenous yeast in the winery.

Morey-St-Denis is a fine bit of the Cote d`Or that flies under the radar of many people, overshadowed by Gevrey and Nuits, amongst others. Perhaps it was because in 1936, when they were handing down the Grand and Premier Cru classifications that the then owner refused GC status in case he had to pay more tax! Clos des Lambrays has found its place since then of course. And under Thierry Brouin has a director of immense prowess and great humility too.

Etienne certainly compares the 2008 vintage to 1993, citing the very similar vegetative cycles in both summers. And to reinforce that he gave us a 1993 Richebourg to taste at the end of our visit.Still needing time, obviously, this was still a majestic wine, with masses of fruit and development. The 2008s were the main event here and together with a mystery Russian and his PA, we tasted (the Russian drank) through the range. The overall impression was of suppleness and energy in the wines. They were all full of gas, but the wines here spend two winters in cask.