Producer · Burgundy, France

Domaine Stéphane Aladame

Stéphane Aladame was just 18 when he set up his own domaine in Montagny, in Burgundy's Côte Chalonnaise, back in 1992. He built his name on 1er Cru vineyards, and for some 30 years he has done a great deal to lift the village's standing.

These days Montagny is talked of in the same breath as the Côte de Beaune, at a kinder price. With no family to hand over to, Stéphane sold his eight hectares to the Gouges family, friends of his from Nuits-Saint-Georges. He kept the right to buy a third of each crop, so he still makes his own wines.

The vines are farmed organically and picked by hand, which is unusual in a village where co-ops own most of the land. Expect bright, fresh whites, some unoaked, from chalky and clay-limestone soils.

Winery at Montagny, Burgundy · Chardonnay · £27.49 to £30.99 a bottle