Affordable Natural Wine from Burgundy, Part 1

Can you find anything under €40 from this hyped region? I went on the hunt.

Apr 29, 2026

∙ Paid

Welcome to the first TMC Wine Guide of 2026. Last year I covered natural wines from Bordeaux, Friuli Collio, Goriška Brda and the Mosel. Now it’s time to look at one of the most loved French regions - and one that has become less and less affordable over the last decade.

I had numerous conversations with importers and connoisseurs while I was preparing this guide. Everyone agrees that Burgundy’s price rises are extraordinary. Everyone has the story of their favourite wine that doubled in price over the last five years. Why has this happened?

Scarcity plays a role - unlike Bordeaux, many of Burgundy’s most coveted cuvées are made in a single barrel. Challenging vintages and extreme weather events haven’t helped either. But hype, speculation and the fetishization of top growers has fanned the flames to wildfire proportions. Faced with the impossible task of allocating ever diminishing quantities amongst ever more customers, some growers use price as a means of pruning the client list.

I sympathise, especially with winemakers who see their wines sold for ridiculous prices on the secondary market - from which they derive no benefit. But I also want something to drink. So where do you look for natural wine from Burgundy without breaking the bank? Right here, dear reader.

Perhaps I should have set the price ceiling at €50. But I have a psychological issue with that figure. For the vast majority, myself included, this is in no way affordable. So I decreased it to €40. This ruled out many iconic names - there is no longer anything from Prieuré Roch, Yann Durieux, Sarnin-Berrux or Sylvain Pataille that fits in that price bracket.

This guide just covers Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. It’s no secret that Aligoté, Gamay and Passe-Tout-Grains (the traditional blend based on Pinot and Gamay) are the region’s value picks. I wanted to find out if my modest wallet would gain me access to the big ticket varieties.

As with all my wine guides, I blind tasted the bottles together with two colleagues, on this occasion Marije Bockholts and Jasper van Amerongen (biogs below). We scored for our own internal use and then arrived at a top ten - wines that averaged the best reactions from all three of us. Each taster also selected their own three favourites.

This was a challenging tasting. The whites - mostly 2022s and 2023s - were more consistent, but suffered from occasional leanness. Many required hours of oxygen before they showed well. Some were only at their best 24 or 48 hours after opening. If you’re holding 2023s, my advice is to hide them away for another year or two.

The reds were, frankly, all over the place. We all know that Pinot Noir is a fickle creature, but oof... I admire the growers working without sulphites, but there was carnage when I poured the open bottles to guests later in the evening. Five had completely left this mortal coil 🐁🐁🐁.

I’ve noted the stability issues below. Some of these bottles are sensational, but only if you drink fast. There was much discussion at Morning Claret towers about the acceptability of unstable wines. Should a bottle that collapses after two hours open actually be on the market?

Our Tasters

Marije Bockholts might be the biggest wine nerd I know. Based in Amsterdam, she’s worked as an educator, consultant and winemaker for more than twenty years. She is currently a Master of Wine stage three candidate.

Favourite wines

⚪ Domaine Derain - Bourgogne “La Corvée aux Moines” 2022

⚪ Athénais de Béru - Bourgogne 2023

🔴 Domaine de Chassorney - Hautes-Côtes de Beaune Puits de Chaux 2023

Jasper van Amerongen is head sommelier at two Michelin star Vinkeles Restaurant in Amsterdam. Although the restaurant focuses on a more classic wine list, Amerongen’s tastes are broad.

Favourite wines

🔴 Domaine de Chassorney - Hautes-Côtes de Beaune Puits de Chaux 2023

⚪ Domaine Derain - Bourgogne “La Corvée aux Moines” 2022

🔴 Vini Viti Vinci - Bourgogne “Épineuil-Vals Noirs” 2022