A focus on the Burgundy collection is always one of a top restaurant's most stylish wine lists. This relatively small wine-growing region accounts for a fifth of all appellations in France. Although winemaking in this region dates back to Roman times, the Burgundy we love and appreciate is a relatively recent phenomenon. The boom in quality came in the 20th century when many winemaking practices still in use today were established.
In the mid-20th century, winegrowers began bottling wines under their labels, moving away from bulk sales, and today 93% are domaine wines. A major contribution to the industry after the Second World War was made by Henri Jaillet, the legendary winemaker, the "father of Burgundy wine", whose approach to wine production became a model for generations to come. Thanks to his work, we have one of the finest premier cru Cros Parantoux in Vosne Romanée, the unofficial grand cru of the commune, yielding wines with a piercing mineral backing. And the potential of this site was unlocked not in medieval times but in the second half of the 20th century, confirming the importance of the human factor.
At the beginning of the 21st century, global climate change has challenged winemakers who are searching for new solutions, actively experimenting with the same ridges during fermentation - although Jaillet was against their use, as the average temperature increased, they began to mature better and stopped giving the wine aggressive herbaceous tones. Discussions and comparative tastings continue unabated - some use 100%, some abandon the ridges, and some apply a small percentage in certain years. Each winemaker is looking for his or her solutions.
As the climate has changed, winemakers have also started to look at Aligote, as it has been found to retain acidity better in hot vintages. The potential of this varietal is not fully revealed, because in its time it was deprived of the best sites in favor of chardonnay, so it is impossible to assess its behavior on more difficult soils. But interest is growing - Domaine Ponsot in Morey-Saint-Denis has a monopoly premier cru Clos des Monts Luisants with 110-year-old Aligote vines, and the Bouzeron appellation is actively developing, which was created thanks to Aubert de Villaine, the legendary co-director of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti.
Traveling through Burgundy is always a great pleasure. We invite you to explore five iconic vineyards - from north to south!
Bonnes-Mares
A grand cru located in two communes - Chambolle-Musigny (where most of the vineyard lies) and Morey-Saint-Denis (the name, according to the most popular version, comes from the nickname of its Cistercian owners bonnes mères - "good mothers"). The wines here are rich, full-bodied, and well-structured, with a rough texture and firm tannins. They generally need more time to mature than Chambolle wines. This vineyard has blossomed in the eyes of the wine community thanks largely to the efforts of Christophe Roumier. He painstakingly researched Bonnes-Mares and discovered that in this diagonal patch of land that juts into the Morey-Saint-Denis, there are terres rouges - red soils mixed with clay - and closer to Chambolle, terres blanches, white soils rich in fossilized shells. Christophe's approach is an amalgamation of traditional Burgundian techniques and new ideas brought in by Henri Jaillet. Wine critic Neal Martin says that Domaine Roumier's Bonnes-Mares is a fabulous, exemplary grand cru that dwarfs even the rarer and more expensive Musigny.
Musigny
A large grand cru (10.86 hectares) that produces some of the greatest and most complex pinot noirs, as well as a unique, distinctive chardonnay (only two grand cru vineyards can produce both white and red wines - Musigny and Corton). The first mention of this vineyard dates back to 1110 - the land was granted to the monks of the Abbey of Citeaux, which in the Middle Ages was one of the largest landowners and an engine of wine progress. From 1302 the village acquired its modern name and became Chambolle, and from 1882 Chambolle-Musigny. The French explorer of Burgundy's terroirs, Jules Laval, gave Musigny the status of the most prestigious section of the Tête de Cuvée in his classification of 1855.
The majority (7.12 ha, including 0.65 ha of chardonnay) belongs to Comte Georges de Vogüé, one of the oldest Burgundian estates, founded in 1450. It also owns the lion's share of Bonnes-Mares. Other notable owners are Domaine Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier (1.13 hectares), Domaine Leroy (0.27 hectares), and one of the most elusive Domaine Georges Roumier with 0.10 hectares.
Master of Wine Jasper Morris writes in his book "Inside Burgundy" that, in theory, the villages of Chambolle and Volnay should be among the first to be affected by climate change because grapes there traditionally ripen more quickly and global warming could make these wines rounder and less elegant. However, he believes the Musigny Grand Cru will not be affected by the change. The secret lies in the local soils, which can both drain excess moisture and restore reserves during drought.
In Chambolle-Musigny, it is important to note that Les Amoureuses is a premier cru, which is quoted at the same level as some grands crus, and the line with Musigny is very thin.
Clos de Tart
One of the largest monopoly vineyards (7.53 hectares) and the only Tête de Cuvée in the commune of Morey-Saint-Denis, according to Laval's classification. The vineyard has been known since 1141, at that time it belonged to a women's abbey. At the time of the French Revolution, its area was estimated at 6.17 hectares, and in 1939, when it was granted Grand Cru status, it was 7.22 hectares. The last territorial change was in 1966 when a small plot of Bonnes-Mares became part of Clos de Tart. The vineyard has had only four owners in its almost thousand-year history. After the revolution, the church farm was sold. The modern history of the house began in 1932 when the farm was taken over by the Mommessin family. And already in 2017, it was bought by Artémis Group, a holding company owned by French billionaire François Pinault. Under the Mommessin family from 1996 to 2014, the wine was run by Sylvain Pitiot. He had a reputation for making powerful, concentrated wines and was a lover of new oak. After his retirement in 2014, Jacques Devauges, who had worked at Domaine de l'Arlot and Domaine de la Vougeraie, came in and continued Pitiot's move towards organics and biodynamics. Clos de Tart has been certified organic since 2015 and a biodynamic vineyard since 2018. With the arrival of the new owners, Alessandro Noli, who has long worked with François Pinault, has taken the helm of the estate.
The businessman has invested fabulous sums in the renovation of the estate. Since 2019, the vineyard has been divided into 16 plots, which are harvested and vinified separately. Not all of the plots are used in the Clos de Tart grand cru, there are very young vines that are used for premier cru wines and in some cases for Morey-Saint-Denis communal wines.
Clos de Vougeot
Clos de Vougeot, first mentioned in 1098, is located in the commune of Vougeot - a unique case where the Grand Cru vineyard is much larger in area than the rest of the village's vineyards. It covers 50.96 hectares and is the largest grand cru in the Côte de Nuits.
It is difficult to say whether Clos de Vougeot would have been able to retain its grand cru status if it had not historically been united by a wall and constituted a coherent plot. Some experts believe that it would probably have been fragmented and the grand cru level would have been assigned to a very small area. Clos de Vougeot is heterogeneous, so it is worth focusing on the best producers when choosing a wine. Le Petit Maupertuis (near Grands Echézeaux) and Musigny (just below the Musigny Grand Cru) are also worth a look.
Clos de Vougeot was long a monopoly and in 1791 became one of the most expensive vineyards auctioned. In the 19th century it was fragmented and today we know about 80 owners of Clos de Vougeot.
Corton
Just north of Beaune, the high hill of Corton, with its forest cap at the top, is surrounded by vineyards on three sides. Three communes, Pernand-Vergelesses, Aloxe-Corton, and Ladoix, are nestled side by side on the hill. There are two common grands crus: Corton, for red wines with a small proportion of whites, and Corton-Charlemagne, for whites only. Together, this is the largest grand cru in Burgundy, covering more than 150 hectares. The soils on the hill are very different, with altitudes ranging from 140 to 340 meters, and the wines range from very mineral to completely fruity. At the top are Oxford limestone, marl, and pebbles, below the ground is reddish due to the high iron content.
These wines are some of the most affordable grand cru wines available. Corton's status rose significantly when the Aubert de Villaine team began making wine from the Les Bressandes, Les Renardes, and Le Clos du Roi plots in 2009, having signed an agreement with Domaine Prince Florent de Mérode the year before.
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti's Corton-Charlemagne white wine Corton-Charlemagne is also available from the 2019 vintage, with the first release in 2022. The farm leases plots from the prestigious Domaine Bonneau du Martray. Although the terms of the deal were not disclosed, both parties note the benefit of cooperation. Bonneau du Martray says they have long been looking for a partner that shares their biodynamic principles.