Cover Jasper Morris MW and expert on all things Burgundy
Jasper Morris MW and expert on all things Burgundy
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Master of Wine and author of the landmark ‘Inside Burgundy’, Jasper Morris has spent decades championing the region’s quieter expressions. Over a final bottle of 1976 Montrachet with Nicola Lee, he reflects on value, climate, markets and why the land always tells the truth
British wine expert Jasper Morris MW has earned a reputation for championing Burgundy’s quieter expressions—village wines, overlooked appellations and producers working without fanfare. Having held the Master of Wine title since 1985, he is widely regarded as the region’s foremost authority.
His landmark book Inside Burgundy, published in 2010 and awarded the André Simon Food & Drink Book Award, achieved something rare when its second edition, released in 2021, won the same prize again. In a field where new editions seldom attract fresh accolades, the honour confirmed Morris not merely as Burgundy’s leading authority but as one of wines most enduring literary voices.
We meet in Singapore over a carefully chosen bottle of 1976 Montrachet by Joseph Drouhin—the last from my cellar, and who better to share it with than Jasper Morris. The conversation moves at an elegant pace as he shares his views candidly, from vineyards and vintages to climate change and the market forces shaping Burgundy’s prices today.
His most recent article on his subscription-based wine website, published this month, focuses on the Côte Chalonnaise—a sub-region of Burgundy that has no Grand Cru vineyards. It is characteristic of his outlook: Morris believes that vineyards produce the best they can give, and that the absence of a coveted Grand Cru classification matters far less than knowing how to farm the land one has. This perspective has shaped Inside Burgundy since its first publication, offering readers not merely a map of historical prestige but an understanding of the region as a living, agricultural ecosystem.
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Above Jasper Morris MW
Jasper Morris MW
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The Making of an authority
Wine entered Morris’s life at Oxford University in the late 1970s, when he joined the Wine Circle while studying Modern History. Raised in a family of lawyers, he recognised early that the law was not his calling. In 1981, he co-founded Morris & Verdin with wine distributor Tony Verdin. The company was later acquired by Berry Bros & Rudd, where Morris managed all things Burgundy—a role that would quietly underpin his future as an author.
His years at Berry Bros & Rudd allowed him to spend extensive time in Burgundy’s vineyards, laying the foundations for Inside Burgundy. Published in-house by Berry Bros & Rudd, with the support of Simon Berry, the book benefited from editorial freedom and direct distribution to the wine trade. The result is a work of exceptional depth and clarity: 800 pages, detailed maps, research across more than 1,200 vineyards and 700 domaines. To date, 25,000 copies have been sold.
Retirement from Berry Bros & Rudd in 2017 did not signal the end of his career. Morris decided he still had “one more interesting thing” to pursue and launched Jasper Morris ‘Inside Burgundy’, a subscription-based website that has since become one of the most respected independent resources on the region.
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Above Jasper Morris MW’s book, Inside Burgundy
Jasper Morris MW’s book, Inside Burgundy
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Burgundy and Beyond
Burgundy today sits at the apex of the fine wine market. At the 165th Hospices de Beaune auction in 2025, a new record was set for a barrel of Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru (Cuvée Dames de Flandres), while the Joseph Lau Collection sale in Hong Kong that same year achieved a white-glove result, reflecting continued demand. Morris observes that Burgundy’s rise accelerated sharply by the mid-1990s and became insatiable by 2005. Platforms such as Wine-Searcher, he notes, have shifted pricing power from producers to the marketplace. He remains uneasy with Burgundy being treated as a speculative asset. “Look at restaurant prices in Beaune,” he says. “That tells you what the wines are really meant to cost.”
Yet Morris insists Burgundy still offers value—provided one looks beyond the obvious. Bourgogne Blanc, Saint-Romain, Aligoté, the Mâconnais and Chablis all feature prominently in his recommendations. He cites Dominique Lafon’s work in the Mâconnais under Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon as proof that excellence and accessibility can coexist. He is sceptical of ego-driven winemaking and wary of awards that outrun an understanding of the land, preferring always to place wines within the context of their appellation and price.
Climate change inevitably looms large when the conversation turns to the future. Morris is cautiously optimistic about recent vintages, particularly 2020 and 2022, suggesting that vines may be beginning to adapt to warmer conditions through changes in canopy management and vineyard practices.
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Above Inside Burgundy has become the go-to source for all things Burgundy
Inside Burgundy has become the go-to source for all things Burgundy
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A man who values proximity to the land, Morris lives in Burgundy, spending his days walking vineyards and visiting domaines. He admits, with a chuckle, that he has not worked so hard in years, with projects taking on a life of their own. Ever forward-looking, he has begun expanding his writing beyond Burgundy, with coverage of pinot noir and chardonnay grown in New Zealand, Australia, Germany and Austria. He has recently welcomed Christy Canterbury MW (United States) and Helga Schroeder MS (Germany and Austria) to a team that already includes Jane Skilton MW (New Zealand) and Tom Kline (Australia).
As the wine draws down and our conversation draws to a close, the elegance of Burgundy hangs perceptibly in the air. Morris is humble about being called the leading authority on the region, acknowledging that it is on the shoulders of the late Clive Coates MW—who passed away in 2022—that he stands. His legacy lies in an authorship that generations of wine lovers will continue to enjoy and value.
Nicola Lee, a graduate in Hospitality & Tourism Management, is the managing director of a property investment company. She is also a freelance wine and travel writer for The Singapore Business Times and Tatler Singapore, as well as a champagne enthusiast whose extensive collection has been featured on Channel NewsAsia’s ‘Remarkable Living (2019)’. A second-generation member of the Commanderie de Bordeaux, she is an ambassador for the Ordre des Coteaux de Champagne in Singapore and academy chair (SEA South) for The World’s 50 Best Restaurants.
