Some wines are just good. Some are exceptional. Few of them have a great story to tell. A story of passion and dedication.

That’s the story of Louis Max winery, whose origins are to be found in Georgia, in the 19th century.

Evgueni Louis Max, the son of a producer of Georgian wine moved to Nuits-Saint-Georges, in the heart of Burgundy. He fell in love with the region and in 1859, decided to found his own wine company. Louis Max was born.

Despite the phylloxera epidemic, the worldwide grapevine pest at the time, development of the company went well and in 1889, Théodore Max, son of Evgueni, and company director at the time, built the factory Rue de Chaux, with the new offices, a tasting room and wine cellar providing two storeys of room for the aging of wine, which is still being used today.

Théodore was a perfectionist and didn’t want to put his name on the wine until it reached an exceptional quality. In 1929, the writer Colette visited the winery and he was so impressed with the quality of the wines and the beauty of the place that she wrote generous words of praise.

During the first half of the 20th century, Louis Max strengthened its reputation and presence in the Côte-d’Or. And after World War II  it expanded by acquiring numerous properties, including the Domaine la Marche in Mercurey, and other properties in the South of France.

Today Philippe Bardet is leading the company with his passion for the Burgundy terroirs and knowledge of Côte de Nuits, Mâconnais and Beaujolais wines.

While Louis Max main focus remains quality and authenticity, it’s also changing its direction and production process to put more emphasis on viticulture and organic farming to produce the best grapes, following simple saying: “to produce good wines, you need the best grapes”.