Agnès Paquet is a unicorn in Burgundy, organically farming her fruit with a deft touch to craft deliciously fine wines – all at prices that have nearly vanished from the category.

When we first opened our store, her wines were on our shelves but, as happens with some of our favorites, the domaine disappeared from the New York market for several years. Now, she's back with the arrival of her '23s, and we’re happy to report the wines are as delicious as ever.

Below, we dive into her journey to becoming a first-generation domaine in Burgundy.

Though they never made wine, Agnès’ family had been farming vines in Beaune since the 1950s. While she was in business school, her family considered selling the vineyards; faced with the prospect of losing the vines she had grown up with, she made a bold decision.

At just 21, she changed course entirely, immersing herself in viticulture and building a domaine from the ground up. No small feat, especially for a young woman without a winemaking legacy to fall back on.

After reclaiming vineyard holdings from long-term renters and spending a few years under the guidance of the highly skilled Jean-Pierre Charlot (of Domaine Joseph Voillot in Volnay), Agnès Paquet crafted her first vintage in 2001 from her parcels in Auxey-Duresses.

From there, she gradually expanded, growing her holdings in and around Beaune while converting everything to organic farming. Today she farms 13 hectares, all organically, and continues to push boundaries in the vines.

One of the biggest changes she’s made is switching to Guyot Poussard pruning, an increasingly popular method that encourages a natural, bilateral flow of sap for better disease prevention. She’s also experimenting with milk and whey treatments in hopes of reducing sulfur use. Sheep roam the vineyards, certain parcels are worked mostly by horse, and she’s letting her canopies grow higher (some without hedging at all).

The original family vines remain in Auxey-Duresses (the ‘Hoz’ white and red come from this site) and make up about half of her holdings. Her other acquisitions are spread across Hautes Côtes de Beaune, Volnay, Pommard, and Meursault.

Stylistically, Agnès takes a similar approach for both Chardonnay and Aligoté, using long press cycles with whole clusters to pull out phenolics in her whites. Fermentations are native, and the wines go straight to barrel with no bâttonage. Sulfur isn’t added until after malolactic fermentation.

For Pinot Noir, stem inclusion varies by cuvée and vintage; none in the Hautes-Côtes, a touch in Pommard, and typically 25-40% in Auxey-Duresses. Regardless of the site, each undergoes a cold soak before warming into an active fermentation with native yeasts. Aging is straightforward: a year in barrel, followed by 3 to 4 months in tank to settle before bottling without filtration.

There’s a clear transition of intensity, flavor, and structure as you taste through both the reds and whites.

SPARKLING

NV Agnès Paquet 'Ali Boit Boit et les 40 Buveurs' Methode Ancestrale $25
An Aligoté pet nat! It changes from dry to off-dry depending on the vintage. This release is refreshingly zesty and dry. 

WHITES

2023 Agnès Paquet Bourgogne Chardonnay $35
From rich soils in a Volnay parcel named Les Lurets, it's giving and fresh all at once.

2023 Agnès Paquet Bourgogne Aligoté 'Le Clou et la Plume' $36
'Les Plumes' is in Meursault and shows the textural qualities of the village.

2023 Agnès Paquet Auxey-Duresses 'Les Hoz' Blanc, Côte de Beaune $52
Poor soils and old vines make an intense, powerful wine from her family plots.

REDS

2023 Agnès Paquet Bourgogne Pinot Noir $38
A totally destemmed charmer from vines planted in Pommard.

2023 Agnès Paquet Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune $45
A fresh, lifted win with more cooling character than the Bourgogne, as it's 100% whole cluster.

2023 Agnès Paquet Auxey-Duresses 'Les Hoz' Rouge, Côte de Beaune $52
A giving, red fruited wine with family vines going back to 1950, done 50% whole cluster. 

2023 Agnès Paquet Pommard 'Les Combes,' Côte de Beaune $81
From old (planted in the 1930s) vines in Pommard, bordering Volnay. A powerful, delicious wine.

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