Burgundy (or Bourgogne as it's known in French) is another classic region of France. It covers a large area, the vineyards running in a long, thin line from Auxerre in the north, to Lyon in the south. The climate is continental, with cold winters, hot summers and plenty of rain.
Travelling from north to south, you pass through the sub-regions of Burgundy in sequence:
- Chablis: the most northerly of Burgundy's regions, known exclusively for dry white wines.
- Côte de Nuits: home of the great red Burgundies.
- Côte de Beaune: known for both red and white wines. The greatest white Burgundies (other than Chablis) are from here.
- Côte Chalonnaise: generally regarded as a lesser district, although still produces some extremely fine red and white wines.
- Mâconnais: the southern limit of Burgundy, where wines tend to be cheaper and made for drinking young.
- Beaujolais: Further south still. Although not actually part of Burgundy, it is usually included when the region is discussed.
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Location
Burgundy's vineyards form a narrow belt of land stretching north-south
through eastern France.
Grapes
- Red: Pinot Noir and Gamay
- White: Chardonnay and Aligote
Look Out For
- Chablis: very dry white
- Cote de Nuits: full-bodied Pinot Noir
reds, a few whites
- Cote de Beaune: lighter Pinot Noir, excellent
Chardonnay
- Cote Chalonnaise: less expensive Pinot Noir and
Chardonnay
- Macon: Chardonnay whites, including the famous
Pouilly-Fuisse
- Beaujolais: Gamay reds
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Naming Wines
Burgundy has a complex system of vineyard ownership, and this, along with a complicated system for naming wines, can make the region seem quite difficult to understand.
It is divided into many different appellations, some of which are tiny, sometimes covering only a single vineyard. Whilst a region such as Bordeaux is composed of large estates with clear boundaries, a Burgundian estate may consist of perhaps 20 different vineyards. Furthermore, each vineyard is divided between many different owners. Each estate will make a different wine from each block of vines. Each wine will have a different name, and (in theory) a different character.
So whilst the name of the vineyard and the name of the producer are identical in Bordeaux; in Burgundy, you need to know the name of both the vineyard AND the producer.
Appellation Contrôlée Areas
The Appellations in ascending order of quality are:
- AC Bourgogne: This is a generic AC that covers those wines that don't qualify for a higher level of classification.
- Regional Appellation: this covers a group of villages, such as AC Côte de Nuits-Villages. It also includes the wines of the regions that have no higher classifications, for example, Chablis and Beaune.
- Village AC: Bottles labelled as coming from a particular village should be of good quality, although they will usually be blends from many different vineyards. Most villages in the Cote d'Or have their own appellation, such as Gevrey-Chambertin, and so do some in the other regions, notably in Beaujolais.
- Premiers Cru: This term means 'First Growth' but applies to the second-best vineyards. The vineyard name will appear on the label, for example, Meursault-Clos Richemont (village name + Premier Cru Vineyard name).
- Grands Cru: These wines come from the very best vineyards. They are appellations contrôlée in their own right, so the label will often only show the name of the vineyard, not the name of any village. Le Chambertin, for example, is a Grand Cru wine from the vineyard of Le Chambertin in the village of Gevrey-Chambertin.
The Premier or Grand Cru sites are often shared by many growers; the land is divided into small parcels owned by each. This means that ten different producers might each make an Echézeaux Grand Cru, for example. Occasionally, the whole Cru is owned by one domaine, termed a 'Monopole', such as La Tâche Grand Cru, owned solely by Domaine de la Romanée-Conti.
Wine Styles
Burgundy is home to three famous grape varieties, which make three benchmark styles of wine:
1. Light, strawberryish, velvety red wine made from Pinot Noir.
Pinot Noir is a difficult grape to grow, and very tricky to vinify. It is light and subtle and loses its freshness and perfumed silky quality very easily. It takes a very good winemaker and a very good vine grower to make good Pinot Noir.
The finest Pinot Noir wines come from the Cote d'Or (Cote de Beaune and Cote de Nuits); wines from the Cote Chalonnaise are earthier. Within the Cote d'Or each village has its own style, and within each village there is a hierarchy of vineyards.
The famous villages of the Cote de Nuits are:
- Nuits-Saint-Georges,
- Gevrey-Chambertin,
- Vosne-Romanee,
- Morey-Saint-Denis, and
- Chambolle-Musigny.
These villages are all famous for their red wines, some of which are fabulously expensive.
The villages famous for red wine in the Cote de Beaune are:
- Pommard,
- Pernand-Vergelesses,
- Savigny-les-Beaune,
- Volnay,
- Beaune,
- Meursault,
- Chassagne-Montrachet, and
- Aloxe-Corton (the only red Grand Cru of the Côte de Beaune).
Unfortunately, good Burgundy is expensive. But if you're clever and get some good advice, you will be able to find some wines that are reasonably good value. The trick is to go for a good producer based in the Cote d'Or, but buy the simpler wines, like Bourgogne Rouge or Chorey-les-Beaune. The price will be far less than that of grander appellations. You won't get the full weight and complexity, but you'll get the elegance and silkiness.
2. Light, juicy, fruity red wine made from Gamay
Beaujolais is a region devoted to one red grape, Gamay, and offers several alternatives on a basic light and bright, fruity taste. You have the choice between juicy, simple Beaujolais; the cru wines, which are more serious and will often age for a few years; or the mostly unexciting reds of the Maconnais.
Beaujolais-Villages has the juiciest flavours. Simple Beaujolais and Beaujolais Nouveau can be as good but often lack fruit. A Beaujolais from one of the ten top villages, known as the Beaujolais crus, should have more character and depth. The most notable crus are light Chiroubles, fragrant Fleurie and heavier wines from Morgon and Moulin-a-Vent.
3. Dry, intense, nutty, white wine made from Chardonnay
Chardonnay in Burgundy is easier to grow, easier to make and easier to buy than Pinot Noir. It is far more reliable, but it is also in just as great demand - so prices are high. It comes in a number of styles.
- Chablis is very lean, steely and minerally, but ages to a nutty complexity after several years.
- Cote d'Or wines have full and complex flavours that range from the oatmeal and nuts of the simpler wines to the buttered-toast and cream of the very best.
- Cote Chalonnaise has a lean style - austere and chalky.
- Maconnais wines are fat, soft and fruity.
The villages famous for white wine in the Cote de Beaune are:
- Puligny-Montrachet,
- Chassagne-Montrachet,
- Meursault,
- Beaune and
- Aloxe-Corton.
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