If Bordeaux is known for its châteaux, Burgundy is famous for its vineyards. It is a mosaic of towns and villages with their grand cru, premier cru, and village vineyards. This land is the epitome of terroir.
Table of Contents:
Cote d'Or - the heart of Burgundy
Côte de Nuits - country of Pinot Noir
Chablis and Grand Auxerrois - the main differences
A historic and revered wine region in eastern France, Burgundy has attracted devoted connoisseurs of its wine around the world for centuries. Although four times the wine production of Bordeaux, Burgundy's 30,000 hectares of vineyards produce some of the most exclusive wines on the planet.
Burgundy wines are created in several different sub-regions, each with its unique character.
Cote d'Or - the heart of Burgundy
The Côte d'Or - the ‘golden slope’ (or, some say, the ‘eastern slope’ because of its eastward orientation) - is a chain of vineyards stretching 60 kilometers from the southern outskirts of Dijon to the villages of Santenay and Maranges in the south.
The arrangement of the vineyards on this slope follows a certain structure. Village-level vineyards and some premier cru are at the top, while premier and grand cru occupy the upper and middle parts of the slope. Village-level vineyards and more general Burgundy-level vineyards are located at the bottom of the hill, transitioning to flatter land.
Numerous valleys and gorges crisscross the Côte d'Or. Some of these, such as Saint-Aubin and Auxey-Duresses, provide vineyards with unique microclimates while remaining part of the wider Côte d'Or region.
The Côte d'Or region is divided into two parts, the Côte de Nuits in the northern half and the Côte de Beaune in the southern half, each named after its central town - Nuits-Saint-Georges in the Côte de Nuits and Beaune in the Côte de Beaune.
Among Burgundy lovers, it is often asked whether they prefer the wines of the Côte de Nuits or the Côte de Beaune as if that might tell us something about their character. Such questions usually only interest novice connoisseurs.
Côte de Nuits - country of Pinot Noir
The Côtes de Nuits is predominantly a Pinot Noir region (although there are also some superb Chardonnay vineyards). It stretches from southern Dijon (starting at Marsanne) to Nuits-Saint-Georges and also includes Corgolin and Comblanchien (before the beginning of the Côte de Beaune).
The villages to the north and south of this region make up the Côtes de Nuits: Brochon and Fixin in the north, Premeaux, Comblanchien, and Corgoloin in the south. In between are several famous villages stretching from north to south:
Gevrey-Chambertin
Morey-Saint-Denis
Chambolle-Musigny
Vougeot
Flagey-Echézeaux
Vosne-Romanee
Nuits-Saint-Georges
Until the end of the 19th century, villages were simply called Gevrey, Morey, Chambolle, and so on, but between 1850 and 1930 they began to add the name of the most famous vineyard to their name. The last was Morey, who added the suffix Saint-Denis in 1927.
In the valleys and hills to the west of the Côte d'Or slope, the Hautes Côtes de Nuits region is located in the southern part of the Côtes de Nuits.
Cote de Beaune: white vs red
The Côte de Beaune encompasses both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, with many internationally recognized appellations. These include the Chardonnay-centred Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, and Chassagne-Montrachet in the central and southern parts of the sub-region; the more heterogeneous slopes of Corton in the very north (as well as Santenay in the south); and Volnay and Pommard, known for their Pinot Noir wines, in the central part of the Côte de Beaune.
Around these famous sites are numerous satellite appellations, some of which have won their loyal fans. These include (roughly north to south):
- Pernand-Vergelesses ‘behind’ the Corton hill and Ladoix-Serrigny below it;
- The neighboring vineyards of Beaune (Savigny and Chorey-lès-Beaune);
- Monthélie, Auxey-Duresses and Saint-Romain in the valleys west of Meursault;
- Blagny and Saint-Aubin (west of Puligny and Chassagne-Montrachet);
- Maranges, where the Côte d'Or ends, south of Santenay.
Like the Hautes Côtes de Nuits appellation, the Hautes Côtes de Beaune appellation encompasses the hills and valleys to the west of these wine-growing areas.
Côte-Chalonnaise
South of the Côte de Beaune, often considered adjacent to the Côte d'Or, is the Côte Chalonnaise region, named after the town of Chalon-sur-Saône. Pinot Noir and Chardonnay varieties also predominate here, although the small appellation of Bouzeron, neighboring Rully in the north of the region, is reserved exclusively for Aligoté.
Except for the general appellation of Burgundy Côte Chalonnaise, which accounts for a significant proportion of regional production (about a quarter), and the often overlooked Burgundy Côte du Couchois, covering Pinot Noir wines produced south of Maranges on the northern border of Côte Chalonnaise, the main wine-growing areas here include (from north to south):
- Rully (and neighboring Bouzeron to the north-west);
- Mercurey (south of Rully);
- Givry (seven kilometres south of Mercurey);
- Montagny (12 kilometers south of Givry)
Mâconnais
To the south of Côte Chalonnaise lies the Maconnais region. Here, the Gamay variety replaces Pinot Noir in the production of red wines, although Maconnais' main fame lies in its Chardonnay-based white wines.
This region, like Côte Chalonnaise, is named after its main town - Macon - although most of the vineyards are west of the town.
The vineyards of the Macon-Village stretch 50 kilometers from Chaintré in southwest Macon to Sennecey-le-Grand, just 20 kilometers east of Montagny in Côte-Chalonnaise to the north. Nevertheless, they are often overshadowed by the two main grape-growing areas.
The first is Viré-Clessé, located in the heart of the region. The second is the Saint-Véran and Pouilly cluster (including Pouilly-Fuissé, Pouilly-Loche, and Pouilly-Vinzelles) in the southern part of the Maconnais, southwest of Macon and in the neighborhood of Beaujolais (Rhône-Alpes department).
Chablis and Grand Auxerrois - the main differences
In addition to the main Chablis wine region, known for its steely and mineral Chardonnay grand cru and premier cru varieties, as well as rustic and Petit Chablis, there is a larger region called Grand Auxerrois. This region includes several wine regions and satellite towns.
Saint-Bris is the only region in Burgundy that produces white Sauvignon Blanc wines. Irancy, which produces red wines from Pinot Noir, partially overlaps the Saint-Bris area. Vézelay AOP in the northern part of Yonne specializes in white wines from Chardonnay.
Five other Burgundy appellations are also located in the department of Yonne:
- Bourgogne Chitry
- Bourgogne Coulanges-la-Vineuse
- Bourgogne Epineuil
- Bourgogne Tonnerre
Bourgogne's overall title
The overall Bourgogne title also includes five parcels with individual vineyards:
- Côte Saint-Jacques
- Clos des Marcs d'Or
- Montrecul
- Le Chapitre
- La Chapelle Notre-Dame
Other wines of regional interest include the sparkling Crémant de Bourgogne and Bourgogne Mousseux, as well as the distilled Marc de Bourgogne (from grape pomace) and Eau-de-Vie de Vin de Bourgogne (from wine/mustard).
The wider Burgundy region is covered by the IGP titles St-Marie-la-Blanche and Coteaux de l'Auxois.
Burgundy vines
The two main grape varieties in Burgundy are Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, belonging to the large Pinot family. Their ‘poorer relatives’, Gamay and Aligote, are also cultivated in the region, producing simpler, rustic wines.
Gamay is used to make red and rosé wines in Macon, while Aligote has its appellation, Bourgogne Aligote. At the end of the 14th century, the first Duke of Burgundy banned the cultivation of Gamay, considering it unsuitable for wine production.
Chablis is uniquely made from Chardonnay, although neighboring Saint-Bris, as mentioned, produces wines exclusively from Sauvignon Blanc and/or Sauvignon Gris. Also worth mentioning is Pinot Blanc (also known as Pinot Gouges in honor of its propagator), which is found in small plantings in the Côte d'Or.
There are three different methods of wine production in Burgundy. The first method involves negociants who buy grapes or wine from many small producers and sell it under their own brand. The second method is carried out by co-operatives, which are associations of grape growers who share wineries to produce wine.
The third method involves winemakers who own both the vineyards and the winery. This method is less common because of the high costs of establishing and maintaining wineries.
The division of land in Burgundy and the existence of co-operatives and negociants are closely related: one causes the other. The main reason lies in the Napoleonic inheritance laws, which ensured equal inheritance rights for all children.
Before the French Revolution of 1789, most of Burgundy's vineyards belonged to the church and the nobility, but they were sold off by the revolutionary government and continued to be divided into smaller plots with each generation.
Climatic features of Burgundy
Burgundy's climate is mainly continental, with short summers and cool winters, making it difficult for grapes to fully ripen. Spring frosts and hail are the greatest threat to grape growers in the region, especially in Chablis, as they can severely damage flowering vines.
The topography of Burgundy is characterized by limestone soils, which appear in the form of hills, steep valleys, or rocky outcrops. These soils play a key role in shaping the character of Burgundy wines, giving them their characteristic minerality and complexity, especially in white wines.
It is the composition of the soil and its orientation that gives the best vineyards in Burgundy their Premier Cru or Grand Cru status.