If you compare apples to apples, you can get into Burgundy producers that charge to taste and that are as large as those in Bordeaux, Champagne and California pretty easily. I don’t know, but if your list in California was Screaming Eagle, Harlan, etc., would it be easy to get appointments. Should not be difficult to get a tour and tasting at Bouchard, Drouhin, Oliver Leflaive, etc. Not sure about Jadot, used to require contacts, but I think they may have created a program for people to come and taste. Many of the producers you could not get into are very small (Faiveley would be an exception to this) and have no wines to sell - they have presold virtually everything.
Just to punctuate what Howard and William and others have said… The top smaller producers don’t have the staff or time to operate tasting rooms for tourists. If they have wine to sell and will see some people, they will prioritize existing Parisian and Belgian and Swiss customers who fill up their trunks and do so every year, and who speak French fluently.
Second the recommendation for Bouchard and Drouhin. Bouchard was particularly interesting, pay for the high end tour and it is a better selection of wines. Bouchard even lets you sit down at a tasting bar and relax while you taste the wines! (in a quiet room). For a first visit these are really lovely experiences and very easy to schedule on line. I did not regret the experience and you can easily purchase wines and have them shipped back.
If I were you, I’d skip Burgundy altogether. If you like the wines of the Chalonnaise, Beaujolais and Macconais you can probably get in with the best growers and see some beautiful countryside and have a great experience. As a bonus, it’s closer to the Northern Rhone. As an added bonus, you could make Lyon your home base or one of the beautiful little spots in the Beaujolais.
The truth of the matter is that without a good industry contact, you aren’t going to get in to see any of the growers discussed on this board. Even if you do, they may view it more as drudgery and you could end up having a disappointing experience.
Personally, Burgundy has really lost most of its charm to me anyway. If you go off the beaten path a bit, you are more likely to have an experience where the vigneron is happy to see you, grateful that you’ve gone through the trouble to travel 5000 miles to see them and you may get to walk the vineyards, taste some older vintages and make a personal connection. To me, this is more rewarding.
Just my $0.02.
I think you make a good point but:
- for a first visit, it’s may be a bit too much off the beaten track, especially if you want to visit the famous grand crus (my 2 eurocents) - and this is coming from someone who visited the beaujolais in August (with some impressions: 2017 Beaujolais - WINE TALK - WineBerserkers);
- even in the cote d’or, there are some excellent small scale producers (think Pernand, Marsannay, etc) - if I was the OP, I would take up William on his offer to give a couple of rec’s - in his reports for WA he pays some remarkable attention to small producers from less heralded terroirs making great wine.
I could not disagree more, but it is all about what is important to you.
Obviously, you can get into Drouhin Book your tickets for the upcoming visits, tastings and events - Oenothèque Joseph Drouhin Bouchard Bouchard Père & Fils | Founded in 1731 and other large growers. So, when Nathan says you cannot get into any of the producers listed in the thread, he is just wrong.
Second, if you go through the link I gave you, you can find other smaller producers whose wines are not in such great demand where you can have a wonderful experience and taste excellent wines. The small domaines in Burgundy generally are family run. If they will see you, it is highly likely that you will meet with someone from the family, not some flunky whose job it is to give tours. This is another reasons small domaines limit visitors. They just do not have the time or personnel to see lots of people (this is another reason why you cannot compare visits to larger estates in California wineries, Bordeaux or Champagne to visits to small estates in Burgundy - in most of these cases, you are meeting with someone whose job it is to give tours). [Where possible, I always buy wines from the smaller producers I visit. If you do not want to buy their wines, don’t visit and waste their time.]
Third, it is truly exciting to drive through the Cotes D’Or and see the great vineyards. And, the food in the Cotes D’Or is fabulous. I could see going to Beaune and just eat in Beaune.
Finally, even to the extent you cannot get into smaller growers, you can taste and buy wines from smaller producers in the Caveaus in various towns. The Caveau de Chassagne Montrachet is esp. good. http://www.caveaudechassagne.com/
And, you can have any wine you buy at these places shipped back to you in the US from Cotes D’Or Imports. https://www.cotedorpdx.com/ They are really easy to deal with.
If you want to travel 5000 miles just to taste Macon Villages and Beaujolais Villages, have a great time. But, I love going to Burgundy and I think you will enjoy it as well. You have to decide what you want.
One more question for you Matt. When are you thinking of going? If it is in September or October, it is likely that nobody will see you. My guess is you will get into more domaines in the winter than in the summer because there is less field work and fewer people visiting. Etc., etc.
Agree with Howard, it is all about what is important to you. If you want to be one of the throngs in Burgundy and have no personal connection with the grower, then being a late comer to Burgundy is for you.
Maybe take a day in Beaune and go to one of the big houses and get a sense of Burgundy. You’re not going to get in to see the names mentioned frequently on this board: Fourrier, Mugneret-Gibourg, Barthod, Bachelet, Mugnier, Meo, Gouges, Chevillon much less Rousseau, Roumier etc.*
It’s about what kind of experience you want to have.
*FWIW, I can see whoever I want (except maybe DRC) yet rarely choose to go anymore except to see Mugneret-Gibourg and the last time we dropped in on Roulot.
Granted there is a TINY group of wineries in Napa where it can be difficult to secure a tasting visit. But I regularly see posts on this board about guys having lunch with Alex Macdonald, I can buy Harlan off the list tomorrow if I wanted, then go taste with them, and I can email Leah Smith anytime I want to arrange a visit (for myself or friends). There’s only one person here I’m aware of who can call up Aubert de Villaine. In Napa and Sonoma, there are plenty of small boutique producers that will be excited to welcome interested parties.
It is also true that making appointments at Bouchard, Drouhin, Jadot, and Olivier Leflaive is very easily done online. However, that is a grand total of 4 producers where a string doesn’t need to be pulled. There may be more, but I don’t think there are many more. Having seen on this thread that others have had good experiences at Bouchard, I slightly regret not trying one of them. Still, if I told you, Napa is great - you can definitely get into Mondavi, Beaulieu, Caymus, and Chandon but everyone else will be sold out, would you be excited about that?
I also looked into Henri Boillot, Domaine de Montille, and D’angerville. A local guide’s response was “It will be really HARD to get rendez vous at those wineries”. Despite making fantastic wines, none of these are top tier or even 2nd by burg standards, and I specifically chose producers who source from a variety of vineyards across villages/1ere/grand crus, presuming they might have a few things to share (if not their top cuvees).
Here’s my point: Tasting in Burgundy in 2019 is more difficult to arrange than Napa without question. There is not a good apples to apples comparison to be made because of differences in case volume, a language barrier, and broad global demand for Burgundy. It is not however, impossible, and one can have a fantastic visit with excellent food, nice hotels, beautiful countryside etc; which we certainly did. As you rightly note, the route des grands crus is an incredible thing to drive and understand. Our experience along the mountain road was breathtaking and provided a context for Burgundy I’ll never forget. I would encourage the OP to put out a few lines and see if he can arrange something of interest. Timing of the request (both season and length of notice), a kind note, or personal connection may be useful. I would reach out to William Kelley, who is a fine ambassador (wish I had known this as well). If he doesn’t have any luck, he’ll be prepared to look elsewhere.
My opinion is the attraction of Burgundy is not visiting the hyper domaines (like in bdx where u can visit lafite Margaux etc).
Rather it’s walking the legendary vineyards, taking the the mystique of the region. Catch lunch and dinner at some great spots with reasonable lists.
Visiting even top tier producers - it’s great to see some but how good are 2019 barrel samples and some bottles of 2018 new releases really going to taste?
Assuming u aren’t royalty and get the royalty treatment of deep library vertical tastings etc.
I look forward to just to walking around. Check out a few producers but more just to experience the region. Not sure if that’s just me. 
You do not know what you are talking about. There are numerous threads on this board over and over again about board members who go to a wide variety of wine producers in Burgundy. But everyone wants to read about Jeremy Holmes going to the very top producers and people ignore guys like Mike Grammer going to a wide number of excellent producers.
And, you likely have spent years buying from producers like Alex Macdonald, Leah Smith, etc. I have never tasted their wines and know very little about them. Do you think it is likely that I could give them a call tomorrow and set up an appointment to spend an hour or two next week having them show me around and tasting through about 10 of their wines?
Totally agree - don’t avoid the region just because you can’t get into small domaines.
That contrast (being able to visit famous BDX houses) reminded me of this [very] useful thread where some of the same points have been made : Travel Questions: Burgundy or Bordeaux - WINE TALK - WineBerserkers
On my trip, we ended up spending 4 nights in Bordeaux and touring for 3 days with 2 other couples (total of 6 people). Spent another 2 nights in champagne then the other couples split off. My wife and I drove to Burgundy alone together and it was lovely for all the reasons you mention
Perhaps you can point the OP to some of those threads?
I’m only sharing my experience and I was just there two months ago. Despite probing several avenues, I found difficulty making appointments with around a dozen producers whose wines I follow. You have been tasting in this region for many years and I presume have relationships with producers you’ve visited and purchased from so perhaps it’s easier for you?
Part of Nathan’s point is that yes, you can taste with small producers but you’re going to have to venture out to find them. Similarly, I argue that one will not find it easy to taste at top tier wineries (or 2nd, or 3rd) or those sexy ones that Holmes visits. Your post here seems to concur, so where’s the discrepancy? Maybe I should have specified large houses/negiociants in my post above, but that’s not why people want to go to burgundy, I think.
For the record, I have found your advice on the thread I linked above very useful and appreciate your input here as well.
I have added links to Mike’s notes. I do not disagree with you that it takes some work to find wineries to visit at small producers in Burgundy. This is why I provided a link to a list of producers in Burgundy that gives contact information, whether the wineries speak English, and whether they take visitors.
I now have been to Burgundy a number of times. Some of the producers I visit are smaller, some are larger. Frankly, there is very little more interesting to see in Burgundy than the caves at Bouchard. They are really extensive, are right on the rampart walls in Beaune and have some extremely old wines in them. I have visited Jadot three or four times, Bouchard twice and Drouhin once (Drouhin has a wonderful store in the front where once can buy wines with age on them at relatively reasonable prices). When, I suggest visiting larger producers, I am suggest these three wineries as outstanding producers of Burgundy. There are certainly many more large producers of Burgundy that one can visit but I did not suggest them because I cannot recommend them. In California terms, to me, a visit to these three wineries is like a visit to Ridge, not a visit to Gallo.
As for smaller growers, a lot of the wineries I visit are now repeats. Some of my visits are to wineries where I have friends with contacts. But, a good number are wineries I just tried to make a contact with and lucked out when they agreed to see me. It typically takes about 10 new wineries to contact to get 2-3 wineries to visit. When, I contact people, I put in my email to them information about how I know their wines and my history with the estate. And, it helps that I post about Burgundy on this board and on Facebook - I have become friends with a lot of producers on Facebook that I might want to visit in the future. One big thing has been to post notes about wines of producers that I have tasted in Facebook boards - often. This esp. helps with younger and more upcoming producers who might be interested in publicity. I would never call any producer I might want to visit a second or third tier producers anywhere in public - would you take up your time with someone who calls you a second or third tier producer? My notes of my visits to producers are all positive, but I never lie. If I don’t like the wines from a producer, I don’t post about the visit. This does not happen very often as I try to visit wineries where I like the wines. I would never say anything negative about someone who took time out to see me.
I use the Paulees in NYC as a way to meet producers or to reacquaint myself with producers I have visited in the past. I have been able to get into one estate that is very hard to visit by asking them the year we were tasting their 2004s. It was easier to get into there back then and now I am able to sometimes get repeat visits.
My sense based on where I have been able to get into is that people who cannot get into any small Burgundy producers either only want to get into the hottest estates, are contacting producers whose wines they have not tasted or have very little experience with, trash Burgundy often on social media or do not do much homework on finding excellent under the radar producers they might want to visit. People who drink $30-75 American Pinot and are excited to go to Napa or Sonoma or Oregon and visit Sanford, Domaine Drouhin, etc., and get tours from whoever it is giving tours that day decide to go to Burgundy and are upset when Aubert de Villaine will not spend time with them.
Thank you. Will peruse them both
Point well taken, and I do wish I had stopped at Bouchard. I’ll plan to on our next visit.
All good approaches that take time and effort
Obviously these are all excellent producers whose wines I have said that I follow and enjoy. It would be both rude and foolish to reference a “tier” when contacting a producer. Here of course I am referring to pricing and availability, which both contribute to exclusivity. Bernard Moreau makes some of the most fabulous reds and whites I have ever tasted. He probably is aware that his wines don’t fetch the auction prices of Coche. But there’s no reason to say it directly and I doubt they are going to scour posts on WB to vet potential visitors. Plus, as I said, I couldn’t get in anyway
I think you’re right on point here. This whole conversation is intended to help the OP and readers frame appropriate expectations. Mine had to be adjusted. This website functions as a bit of a hype machine, and drives interest in certain producers. While it can tough to source some of these wines stateside, I agree it’s worth doing and I only reached out to producers whose wines I had tried and liked
When I was planning our trip in 2016, my ratio was closer to 15 contacts per 1 winery to visit as I don’t have the same situation as Howard. You need to start early as many wineries didn’t respond for many days and in some cases weeks. Others didn’t respond at all. So assuming you have some prioritized list of wineries you want to visit you need to allow plenty of time for a response before moving to the next one one your list. Even allowing what I thought was sufficient time, I ended up setting up two appointments on the same day & time and had to reschedule one. Luckily the winery was willing to do so but it wasn’t the way I would have preferred to have done things.
I was thinking the same thing slogging through this depressing thread. I would simply drink their wines and let the winemakers get on with the important task of letting them sell their wine instead of trying to corral them into an appointment it sounds like they would rather not make.
Hmm, if you were Roman Catholic this would be considered a lie of omission.
I would call it treating people who have been nice to me with courtesy.
There is no question that maximizing my trips to Burgundy have taken time and effort. But, they have been worth it. They are some of my favorite trips of my life. Basically, there are about four alternatives, as I see it:
- Don’t go to Burgundy. 99.9 percent of the world or more has never been to Burgundy and many of these people have still lived happy and fulfilled lives.
- Put forth a good bit of time and effort and have the time of your life - even though you still won’t visit DRC, Leroy, Roumier or Coche.
- Go to the top bigger growers; see the Clos Vougeot, the Hospice de Beaune, and other interesting sites; visit a few caveaus; drive around to see the famous vineyards; eat some marvelous food; and have an excellent time - without worrying about what you don’t see.
- Spend a lot of money on a tour guide who will get you into smaller growers - have never done this in Burgundy so I don’t know how well it works.