About This Vineyard
Jean Claude Rateau was one of the first winemakers in Burgandy to farm organically. He grew up in Beaune, in the well-known Burgundy region, surrounded by barrels and the smells of fermenting wine. There was absolutely no way he could escape his winegrowing destiny! In 1979, he took over the family estate and with just 2 hectares to begin with, he walked away from 1,500 years of winemaking traditions and introduced biodynamics.
Jean-Claude remembers the long tables set up for the grape-picking season, the children with sticky hands and cheeks from eating grapes and the laughter that echoed throughout the vines. He remembers his paternal grandfather who produced red and white Beaune wines as well as his maternal grandfather who worked as the head gardner in Beaux Fougets and who kept bottles of wine from Jean-Claude’s year of birth. His 8 hectare estate is planted with pinot noir, chardonnay and pinot beurot.