Kei Shiogai

Kei Shiogai is the only Japanese winemaker working in Burgundy. A former Tokyo sommelier, he moved to France in 2014, trained in viticulture, and worked at Rousseau, Roulot and Philippe Pacalet — about as good a finishing school as Burgundy has to offer — before starting his own micro-negociant project.

He doesn't own land; he sources exceptional fruit from Pommard and Gevrey-Chambertin and farms it himself. His harvest crew is a curiosity in its own right — mostly private collectors and self-described superfans who work the vintage in exchange for a shot at buying an allocation.