The stand-out bottles from the 2011 Burgundy vintage could by the lesser-heralded whites, it has been suggested.

While Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, Domaine Leroy and Henri Jayer routinely take the headlines whenever a new Burgundy vintage is released, the 2011 harvest looks like having produced some exceptional examples from the northern region of Chablis.

According to James Simpson, sales director for Maison Joseph Drouhin's UK representatives Pol Roger Portfolio, the Chablis has impressed Frederic Drouhin.

"He told me that yields were down, but that it was looking surprisingly good overall," Mr Simpson told the Drinks Business.

"Although everything is still bubbling away and it's a little too early to tell yet."

While waiting for the 2011 vintage to show its true class, Mr Simpson said that the 2010 campaign promises to be "a lot of fun", with the whites again set to reward growing enthusiasm in the UK.

He continued: "I think we're attracting some of the Bordeaux buyers. When you consider how much is made in Burgundy it is actually good value for money.

"The UK is becoming a more interesting market for Burgundy and as such UK allocations are growing."

Mr Simpson also hinted that prices for 2010 Burgundy are likely to stay the same as for the 2009s, with Burgundy estates looking for stability that is not found in the inflated prices of the Bordeaux market.

The 2011 Burgundy harvest was the first in a number of years to be conducted entirely by hand.

A number of estates - particularly in Chablis - had been using mechanised pickers, but the Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bourgogne banned their usage in August with immediate effect.

At the time, Louis Michel Liger-Belair of Domaine Comte Liger-Belair and president of the Union of Burgundy Grands Crus told Decanter that it is important for the future of the region to take a stand on harvesting techniques.

He said the vineyards that use harvesting machines produce lower-quality wine and create a "bad image" for the rest of the region.