Burgundy is a highly appreciated wine region thanks to its sought-after production of spectacular Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines.
Burgundy wine sector consists of hundreds of appellations and a thousand of individual wine estates, each having a small vineyard inside a confined narrow area. The region receives a cold continental climate with high risk of frost and hail, the great calamity of Burgundy vines. The limestone soils give a complexity and minerality to the wines.
A complex appellations system in Burgundy
The appellation system in Burgundy is quite complex. The regional appellations, not well known like AOC Bourgogne Aligoté or AOC Bourgogne Rouge, amount to half of the total wine production.
Directly higher in the hierarchy are the communal appellations like Chablis, Givry or Gevrey-Chambertin which amount to a great part of the wine production.
The Premier Cru and Grand Cru are appellations restricted to one site. The name of the vineyard is associated to a specific area.
Grands Crus refer to the best wines whose labels only tell the name of the vineyard and not the town.
Burgundy is divided in five important wine growing areas. In the north, the calcareous hills of Chablis are specialized in white wines. The other great wine regions spread from Dijon to Mâcon: Côte d'Or which gathers Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune, Côte Chalonnaise and Mâconnais.
Côte d'Or and it's unique terroir
Côte d'Or is an impressive unique viticultural area. On Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune, the most important appellations are given the name of the communes.
In Côte de Nuits, the best red wines come from the prestigious communes of Gevrey-Chambertin, Morey St Denis, Chambolle-Musigny, Vougeot, Vosne-Romanée and Nuits-Saint Georges. These are medium-bodied with a great ageing potential.
Côte de Beaune produces light red wines and excellent dry whites. Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet make the famed white wines with intense aromas. These complex full-bodied wines reach their peak in ten years when they reveal a richer texture, more tannins and notes of toasted bread. In Pommard and Volnay are produced some light reds.
Chablis
In the far north of Burgundy, AOC Chablis produces acid white wines of Chardonnay, with distinctive aromas of greengage and mineral notes. Chablis Premier Cru has a richer body, a silky texture and notes of citrus fruits.
AOC Chablis Grand Cru wines reveal with age-structured notes of oak. They develop complex smoky flavors and a crisp acidity.
Grape varieties in Burgandy
Pinot Noir is the traditional red variety of Burgundy where it can blossom extraordinarily. The classic young wine has bright aromas of red fruits. With age, it reveals salty vegetal notes with a meaty touch. The concentration of tannins and acid varies depending on vineyards and vintages.
Chardonnay is used in every great Burgundy white wines. It produces rich wines with a creamy buttered character. In Burgundy, it is used to make a large range of wines, from the elegant acid Chablis to the fruity full-bodied one from Mâcon or the vivid complex whites from Côte d'Or.
Aligoté is used to produce sparkling wines and Bourgogne Aligoté ones. The wines are acid and straighfoward.
Gamay was in the past quite common because it was easy to grow and produced a lovely fruity red wine. Nowadays it is only cultivated in the humble appellations and in Mâconnais.
Some of the best producers in Burgundy
Louis Jadot, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Domaine Christian Moreau, Domaine Drouhin, Bruno Clair and Armand Rousseau are among the best wine estates in Burgundy.
Our wines from Burgandy
