Elodie Roy is making some of the most pure and elegant wines in Burgundy, running the eponymous estate located in Cheilly-lès-Maranges in Burgundy. In 2018, she took over the vineyards of her father, driven by the desire to strike out on her own.

Elodie spent eleven years of her professional career working with Anne Gros, one of Burgundy's most respected and sought after vignerons, who has had a direct influence on her style. She is committed advocate for sustainable viticulture that respects the soil and biodiversity.

MV: Your path to winemaking wasn’t direct - you left for law and banking before ultimately returning to wine. What was it about winemaking that called you back so strongly?

ER: That’s true, when I was young, I didn’t want to do the same job as my parents.

They worked a lot in the vineyard during the week and weekends they had to receive customers and prepare orders, it wasn’t my dream when I was 15/16 years old. My parents worked 18 hectares - it's a lot.

I left for literary studies and studied law at university, then worked for a bank and made a new life with wine studies at 25. I always worked with my parents during the holidays. Working outside in the vineyard is my favorite thing!

After my master’s degree in wine, I worked 11 vintages in a prestigious Domaine in Vosne Romanée; Anne Gros. I learned a lot, and with my “middle life crisis” at 39, I decided to go back to my roots in Maranges.

With 10 hectares, this was the beginning of a new life and the creation of Domaine Elodie Roy, I am the third génération after Robert, my grand-father and Christian, my father.

MV: Your parents weren’t initially supportive of your career change. How did you navigate that, and how do they feel about your success today?

ER: My parents were afraid at the beginning. For them, working in a bank was more secure!

They are not the type to give a lot of compliments. But I think today they are happy that I have taken over the family vineyards. My mother gives me a hand with order preparation and my father still rides a tractor at 76! I also have a team of seasonal workers with me.

MV: Taking over your family’s vines at the age of 38 must have been both exciting and daunting. What was the biggest challenge in making that transition?

ER: At 38, we have experience. I knew what I wanted - and what I didn’t. During my 11 years of experience in another Domaine, I set up different things both in the vineyard and in the winery. Returning to family land is a challenge! We are not on the same level of appellations - Vosne Romanée and Maranges for example - but I am very proud to develop the awareness of our lesser known appellations. The most difficult challenge for me is finding a great team.

MV: How did spending a decade working with one of Burgundy’s most prestigious wines – Domaine Anne Gros – influence your approach to winemaking?

ER: I was very happy to work with Anne Gros. As her assistant, I worked in all positions: vineyard, winery, cellar, orders preparations, welcoming customers, tasting, wine tourism, and vineyard visits. That’s why our job is so interesting, the days are different. You must know how to do everything - it's a very full job!

For the winemaking, I have a rather delicate approach, trying to respect the fruit and not to be too interventionist. I ‘m talking about infusion rather than maceration. Good fruit, good freshness, silky and elegant tannins.

MV: You describe this career shift as your ‘mid-life crisis.’ What has surprised you the most about being back home, running your own domaine?

ER: I am very attached to the vines planted by my father and my grandfather.

Indeed, it’s a challenge to start from scratch, but I don’t regret my decision. I work for myself and in the continuity of the generation that preceded me, but with a different philosophy. More environmentally friendly, no chemical weed killers, natural yeast for the fermentation. I don’ t work with blinders. Every vintage is different, and we have to adapt.

MV: Your vineyards include a parcel of 70-year-old vines planted by your grandfather. How does that legacy influence the way you work?

ER: My Santenay 1er cru Les Gravières was planted in 1952-1953 by my grandfather Robert. It’s a wonderful place with a beautiful view, on the road of the Grands Crus, near Chassagne. We must respect the work of the elders. I saw many new baby vineyards in this area in 2018. Our vineyard is old so, there was a lot of missing winestock. We work a lot by hand on this plot, it is no longer mechanised, as it's too dangerous to work with a tractor. In Bourgogne, it is important to have old vines, less yields but a very good quality.

MV: Maranges is a lesser-known appellation compared to its famous neighbours. What do you wish more people understood about this terroir and its potential?

ER: Maranges appellation was created in 1989. At the beginning, many producers sold their wine to the big wine merchant, but now, you have a new generation. We have all developed the sale in bottles with our own labels. We are in a very picturesque territory. South door of the Cote de Beaune. Since 2015, Maranges ‘climats’ were classified in the UNESCO world heritage! 210 hectares in total, more reds than whites, and only 21 hectares in whites.There are 7 1ers crus.

At the Domaine, I only have Maranges village, so I decided to work by terroir - La Rue des Pierres and Le Goty - I still have six other plots of Maranges but it’s a global cuvée. I sell the grapes or the wines to a wine merchant.

Maranges have brown and deep soil, the south-east exposure is fresher, and of course very good value and a very interesting pleasure quality price. Burgundy is not the only home to great wines; you can have a lot of fun by tasting regional appellations like Hautes Cotes de Beaune or Maranges.

MV: You often emphasise sustainability and respect for the soil. What specific practices have you implemented to ensure the longevity of your vineyards?

ER: Firstly, no weed killer. I work in sync with the lunar calendar by planting on roots day, and filtration and bottling on fruit day. I don’t want to be locked in by labels and stay free to make my own decisions.

Every vintage is different, with the climate ever-changing. We have to fight diseases like mildiou or oidium. Last year, 2024, was awful with a lot of rains, frost, and mildiou, so I used some chemicals to protect the vineyard.

MV: As a woman in Burgundy winemaking, and part of a strong network of female vignerons, how have you seen the role of women evolve in the industry?

ER: There are more and more girls who are taking over family Domaines. 20-30 years ago it was more complicated. If you had a daughter, she had to marry a winegrower… haha! You can now find on labels, Domaines that have been handed from father to daughter. But women have always been there in the shadow of men. For example, my Mom: it was Domaine Christian Roy, but my mother worked as much as my father in the vineyard, she was the one who received the customers for tastings and she managed all the administrative part.

It's still an environment very marked by men, but some women drive tractors, they are leaders. I am part of an association called ‘Femmes et vins de Bourgogne’, from Chablis to Maconnais, 42 women, we are not feminists but sometimes it’s easier to ask questions to another woman!

Very proud to be a woman in the wine industry!

MV: Where do you see yourself and Domaine Elodie Roy in the next 10 years?

ER: I hope to still be there. Next year, let’s celebrate Saint Vincent Tournante in Maranges - two very crazy days! I am very invested in the appellation - I am the secretary of our defence organisation and Vice Presidente of the organising committee of the rotating Saint Vincent.

There will be some new features at the end of 2025, with new wines in the Côte Chalonnaise: Rully 1er cru and Mercurey 1er cru! I also hope one day find a plot of Maranges 1er cru.