Introduced to biodynamics by agronomist Xavier Morin, Jean-Claude Rateau became Burgundy’s first biodynamic vigneron in 1979, managing 1.5 hectares of family vines. With limited resources on biodynamics at the time, Rateau collaborated with producers like Emmanuel Giboulot and Dominique Derain, and worked with microbiologist Claude Bourguignon, whose first living soil profile was conducted in Rateau’s vineyards. This collaboration helped form the Groupement d’Etude et de Suivi des Terroirs (GEST) in 1995, a group dedicated to sustainable soil management. Today, Rateau farms 20 parcels around Beaune, favoring sélection massale to preserve the unique quality of his old Pinot Fin vines, some over 100 years old. His biodynamic methods are tailored to each climat and vintage, allowing the vines to achieve balance and resist disease naturally.
 
In the cellar, Rateau practices minimal intervention, with reds undergoing maceration for 15 to 20 days followed by 11 to 20 months of aging in used barrels. He values the color and brilliance of his wines, performing gentle filtration before bottling and experimenting with small batches to explore the potential of different terroirs. His wines, never chaptalized and rarely exceeding 12.5% alcohol, are known for their clarity, subtlety, and nuanced expression—hallmarks of a true pioneer in biodynamic winemaking and a deeply dedicated vigneron.
 
Jean-Claude’s Les Beaux et Bons is sourced from two small adjoining vineyards - Les Bons Feuvres with its iron-rich soil, and Les Beaux Fougets, featuring fine clay. The 25-year-old vines, planted at a high density of 10,000 vines per hectare, produce an elegant wine, with 80% of the grapes destemmed. It boasts a soaring aroma, a strong mineral backbone, and refined, fine-grained tannins.