Domaine Simon Bize et Fils

The Bize family's connection to Savigny-lès-Beaune traces to 1880, when Simon Bize, the great-grandfather of the current generation, acquired the initial vineyard parcels that would become the modern estate. The domaine passed through four generations of family stewardship, with each generation expanding the holdings and refining the work. The pivotal modern transformation came with Patrick Bize, who took over the estate in 1972 and over the following four decades elevated it from a respected local Savigny producer to the appellation's reference estate. Patrick died suddenly in 2013, and the estate has since been run by his widow Chisa Bize and his sister Marielle Grivot-Bize (married into the Vosne-Romanée Grivot family), maintaining the fourth-generation commitment to traditional winemaking and terroir expression.

• Founded 1880 by Simon Bize through a series of vineyard acquisitions in Savigny-lès-Beaune; four generations of continuous family ownership
• Patrick Bize took over the estate in 1972 and led the modern quality elevation across four decades
• Patrick died suddenly in 2013; the estate is now run by his widow Chisa Bize and his sister Marielle Grivot-Bize
• Marielle Grivot-Bize married into the Vosne-Romanée Grivot family (Domaine Jean Grivot), providing a cross-cohort family connection to the Côte de Nuits

Chisa Bize, originally from Japan and Patrick's widow, took primary responsibility for the cellar after Patrick's 2013 death and has guided the estate's most consequential viticultural change. The biodynamic conversion began in 2008 (still under Patrick's stewardship) with the Les Serpentières plot as the first experimental parcel, and has since extended across the broader estate. The work emphasizes vine health and soil microbiology rather than commercial positioning, and has been credited by critics with sharpening the precision and aromatic clarity of the wines. Marielle Grivot-Bize manages the broader commercial and operational side of the estate, providing continuity in the family commitment to traditional Savigny winemaking that distinguished Patrick's tenure.

• Chisa Bize (originally from Japan) took primary responsibility for the cellar after Patrick's death in 2013
• Biodynamic conversion began in 2008 with the Les Serpentières plot as the first experimental parcel
• Conversion has since extended across the broader estate; biodynamic work emphasizes vine health and soil microbiology
• Marielle Grivot-Bize manages the broader commercial and operational side of the estate

The estate's approximately 22 hectares are concentrated in Savigny-lès-Beaune, with the six Premier Cru cuvées spanning the village's range of orientations and soils. Aux Vergelesses (planted progressively in 1939, 1949, and 1954 across 1.90 hectares) is the largest single Premier Cru holding and is bottled in both rouge and blanc versions. Les Marconnets (0.60 hectares on deep sandy soil) is the structured upper-slope parcel that critics regularly cite as a flagship. Les Serpentières (the first parcel converted to biodynamics in 2008) is bottled separately from the broader Serpentières roster. Aux Guettes (0.50 hectares on clay-rich upper-slope soils, planted 1965) gives the most firmly structured red, while Les Talmettes (0.80 hectares, planted 1968 and 1978 on steep clay-limestone slopes) provides a lifted aromatic counterpoint. Beyond Savigny, the estate holds village-level Aloxe-Corton and two Grand Cru parcels: Corton-Charlemagne at 0.20 hectares (two 0.10-ha parcels on the Pernand side of the Corton hill, planted in 1938 from massal selection) and Latricières-Chambertin at 0.32 hectares (vines planted in 1961, 1971, and 1981 adjacent to Le Chambertin).

• Six Savigny-lès-Beaune Premier Cru cuvées: Aux Vergelesses (rouge and blanc, 1.90 ha), Les Marconnets (0.60 ha), Les Serpentières (biodynamic first parcel since 2008), Aux Guettes (0.50 ha, 1965), Les Talmettes (0.80 ha, 1968 and 1978)
• Aloxe-Corton village holdings; estate also produces village Savigny-lès-Beaune in both rouge and blanc
• Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru: 0.20 ha across two 0.10-ha parcels on the Pernand side of the Corton hill, planted 1938 via massal selection
• Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru: 0.32 ha adjacent to Le Chambertin, planted in 1961, 1971, and 1981

Winemaking at Simon Bize follows a traditional, minimal-intervention template that has defined the estate across generations. Pinot Noir is vinified with whole-cluster fermentation that contributes aromatic complexity and structural backbone. New oak is held to a deliberately restrained 0 to 20 percent across the range, allowing terroir and fruit character to take precedence over wood influence. Chardonnay receives similarly restrained barrel work. Wines are bottled without aggressive intervention and are characterized by classical Burgundian elegance rather than modern extraction. The cellar style has been consistent enough across the Patrick and Chisa generations that vintage variation rather than house-style shift defines the wines, with the biodynamic conversion since 2008 credited by critics with sharpening rather than altering the fundamental house identity.

• Whole-cluster fermentation for Pinot Noir contributes aromatic complexity and structural backbone
• New oak deliberately restrained at 0 to 20 percent across the range; terroir takes precedence over wood influence
• Cellar style consistent across Patrick and Chisa generations; vintage variation rather than house-style shift defines the wines
• Biodynamic conversion since 2008 credited with sharpening rather than altering the fundamental house identity

Domaine Simon Bize et Fils is the reference producer for Savigny-lès-Beaune, an appellation that critics and collectors routinely cite as one of the most under-appreciated quality tiers on the Côte de Beaune. The six-Premier-Cru roster provides one of the more comprehensive single-producer studies in the appellation, with the holdings spanning the village's full geographic range. The two Grand Cru parcels (Corton-Charlemagne and Latricières-Chambertin) add prestige tier wines from the Côte de Beaune and the Côte de Nuits respectively, and the Latricières in particular is a rare Côte de Nuits Grand Cru holding for a Savigny-based estate. The biodynamic conversion under Chisa Bize, the cross-cohort Grivot family connection through Marielle, and the four generations of family continuity all underwrite a quietly important estate that has been a Burgundy insider's recommendation for several decades.

• Reference producer for Savigny-lès-Beaune; the six-Premier-Cru roster is among the most comprehensive single-producer studies in the appellation
• Two Grand Cru parcels span the Côte de Beaune (Corton-Charlemagne) and the Côte de Nuits (Latricières-Chambertin), an unusual configuration for a Savigny-based estate
• Biodynamic conversion under Chisa Bize since 2008 has sharpened the estate's terroir expression
• Cross-cohort family connection through Marielle Grivot-Bize to the Vosne-Romanée Domaine Jean Grivot