New Zealand and California may now produce some wonderful Pinot Noirs, but Burgundy is unbeatable in the sheer number of quality wines and all the different styles which reflect the work of the wine grower and the position of his vines.

The top wines are not cheap and, as a general rule, it’s worth giving a wide berth to inexpensive red burgundy, so start exploring the wines with the more affordable expamples from the Côte Chalonnaise. Here Mouton father and son make a lovely, fruit-filled Givry. Just north at Rully, Paul Jacqueson fashions super wines for which he gains admiration from fellow growers in all parts of Burgundy. Mâcon Rouge is cheaper on account of being made by the less-regarded Gamay grape, but Nadine and Maurice Guerrin’s example is wonderfully light and juicy.

The warm vineyards of the Côte de Beaune tend to produce softer, arguably less fine reds than the Côte de Nuits, but they are often less expensive too, particularly the wines from several higher and lesser known villages. In Saint-Aubin, Gérard Prudhon of Henri Prudhon et Fils has supplied Tanners with his delicious premier cru Les Frionnes for 25 vintages. He is gradually handing over duties to sons Philippe and Vincent. The tranquil hilltop hamlet of Saint-Romain Le Haut is home to Alain Gras who makes an exquisite lunchtime red. Nearby, on the high street in Auxey-Duresses, Michel Prunier is the archetypal Burgundian vigneron who, aided by his daughter Estelle, fashions delicious, fruit-filled Pinots. Santenay produces some strong-flavoured wines and someone with good vineyards there and a dedication to quality is Laurent Borgeot of Domaine Borgeot.

Some of us will miss the Maranges from Vincent Girardin - he has given it up to concentrate on grander things - but his reds, like his whites, are undeniably good and toothsome.

Higher prices are commanded by the wines of Volnay, Pommard and Beaune. Domaine de Montille is at the top of the game in Volnay and the wines made by the new generation - siblings Etienne and Alix de Montille - have sweeter tannins than those of their parents. Meursaults are the speciality of Jean-François and Henri Germain, but you will find their reds from Beaune and Chassagne-Montrachet to be equally good. Chanson Père et Fils has an enviable holding of Beaune vineyards which are reaching much better potential under the direction of Gilles de Courcel and the ownership of Champagne Bollinger. Nicolas Potel has now set himself up in eco-friendly cellars just off the Beaune périphérique under the name ‘Roche de Bellene’. We have followed the talented Nicolas through several guises since his youth in Volnay at Pousse d’Or.

Côte de Nuits wines tend to be denser and more voluptuous than those of the Côte de Beaune, while each village has a tendency to produce a slightly different style of wine. We have worked hard to build good relationships with top growers in each and travel out regularly to taste the new wines in barrel, and check that we are buying the pick of the crop.

Nuits-Saint-Georges is home to Domaine Gouges where the new generation is making much more approachable wines than in the past, employing the best methods in their newly kitted out cuverie. The vineyards of Nuits-Saint-Georges run on seamlessly into Vosne-Romanée, a village with a constellation of top grand crus. Here Michel Gros has a monopole, Clos des Réas, which is a star turn in a range of silky, classic Pinot wines which have earned him ‘Red Winemaker of the Year’ twice in the International Wine Challenge. Jean-Nicolas Méo of Domaine Méo-Camuzet produces extremely sought-after, very intense, satin-textured wines in a range which is now supplemented by less expensive mini-négociant wines under the ‘Méo-Camuzet Frère et Soeurs’ label.

Via the large Clos de Vougeot vineyard, you then come to one of our very favourite villages, Chambolle-Musigny. Christophe Roumier of Domaine G Roumier is one of the most respected Burgundy winemakers of his generation, and he and his father before him have supplied Tanners with superb wines over many, many years. A paragon of women winemakers, Ghislaine Barthod makes wonderfully floral, succulent Chambolle-Musignys which have a loyal following. She shares a now expanded cellar with her partner Louis Boillot whose wines - mostly from Gevrey-Chambertin and Pommard - are as softly textured as Ghislaine’s.

Gevrey-Chambertin is an important village with some very important grand crus such as Le Chambertin and Clos de Bèze and a capacity to make dark, rich, full-weight burgundies. There are a number of growers here whom we rate very highly, so no apologies for being rather top heavy in this village! A grand old domaine and one of the first ever to do estate bottling is Armand Rousseau Père et Fils which produces a magnificent range of wines from a battery of prime site grand crus. Charismatic, but largely retired, Charles Rousseau is the ‘père’ and winemaker Eric the ‘fils’. Up the road Bernard Dugat-Py doesn’t like giving away secrets about how he makes his stunning wines, but what is for sure is that he lavishes immense care on the few barrels of each he produces. Due to the limited availability of his own wine, Bernard Dugat-Py pointed us in the direction of René Bouvier whose dense, showy wines include an excellent Fixin. This village is next to Gevrey-Chambertin and, in the right hands, produces wines that are well worth your attention. Arnaud Mortet at Domaine Mortet is succeeding in continuing his father’s work to produce superbly, impressive wines. Domaine Drouhin-Laroze has impressive vineyard holdings and equally grand cellars which were built during the Napoleonic wars by Prussian prisoners. Here Philippe Drouhin fashions better and better wines. Travelling north and almost into Dijon, is Marsannay, home to Bruno Clair, a fun character who has managed to inherit parcels of vines in 19 different appellations along the Côte d’Or. Together with his cellar master Philippe Brun, they make silky wines that are packed with sweet Pinot fruit.

James Tanner