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Burgundy

Contents

  1. Lay of the Land
  2. Climate
  3. The Grapes of Burgundy
  4. The Modern AOP System in Burgundy
  5. Vin de Pays (IGP) in Burgundy
  6. The History of Burgundy: Monks, Germans, and Legionnaires
  7. The History of Burgundy: Era of the Valois Dukes (1363–1477)
  8. The History of Burgundy: The Climats of Burgundy and Evolving Meaning
  9. The History of Burgundy: Fragmentation
  10. Domaines and the Négociant
  11. Post-Phylloxera Vineyard Architecture
  12. The Vigneron's Struggle
  13. Replanting and Vine Selection
  14. Modern Winemaking Practices
  15. Chablis
  16. The Côte d’Or
  17. Côte de Nuits: Village Appellations
  18. Côte de Beaune: The Hill of Corton
  19. Côte de Beaune: Village Appellations
  20. Côte Chalonnaise
  21. Mâconnais
  22. Beaujolais
  23. The Crus of Beaujolais
Burgundy (Bourgogne) is a holy grail for wine connoisseurs: a region impossible to master, impenetrable to the casual observer, and endlessly fascinating. A simple premise—red Burgundy is generally Pinot Noir and white Burgundy is generally Chardonnay—belies a maze of appellations, fractured vineyards, scores of producers, and erratic vintage swings. Just getting the right information can be a chore: the vignerons (winegrowers) of Burgundy are an insular lot, often reluctant to impart their wisdom and experience to outsiders, and even they are rarely experts beyond the walls of their own domaines or confines of their own communes. A vigneron in Meursault is unlikely to know much about the vineyards of Morey-Saint-Denis, and vice versa. New students of Burgundy should keep in mind that understanding this region is a lifelong pursuit. For seasoned Burgundy drinkers, the following guide provides a thorough look at the evolution of winemaking and viticulture in the region, concluding with detailed notes on each commune and appellation.    

Note that, unless specifically stated, production and planting statistics throughout this guide do not include the sector of Beaujolais in the Rhône department. Burgundy statistics are courtesy
Anonymous
  • 5 months ago in reply to Michael Markarian

    thank you 

  • 5 months ago in reply to Joshua Webber

    If it is four AOPs, the fourth one for red only is Cote de Beaune-Villages. 

  • 5 months ago

    Says there are four communes in the Cotes du Beaune which may produce red wine only. Volnay, Pommard, Blagny, but what is the fourth? anyone know?

  • 9 months ago in reply to Torrey Lewis

    Hey Torrey! Thanks for bringing this to our attention. We will have the map updated shortly. 

  • 9 months ago

    The map for Beaujolais seems to be incorrect for the crus. It's hard to tell as I'm having trouble zooming in closer and the colors are so close together. It appears that Chiroubles and Fleurie have been switched on the color key.

  • 9 months ago in reply to Mark Fusco

    Correction: 2020 vintage and earlier for my French wines. I haven't seen a lot of HVE logos on Champagne bottles, and no VDC logos), so while the farm may have it, due to the nature of how NV Champagnes are multi-vintage and themes recent vintage I have is 2015, it's going to be awhile before those logos start becoming noticeable.

  • 9 months ago in reply to Mark Fusco

    Champagne has the Sustainable Viticulture in Champagne (VDC) certification - https://www.champagne.fr/en/the-commitments-in-champagne. Also, in 2017, the Marne départment had the 2nd highest amount of HVE-certified farms (193) behind the Gironde départment (212). From what I can tell the VDC certification is meant to be a stricter certification. Also, VDC is specific to Champagne whereas HVE (HEV in English) is all agriculture. For the départments that make up Burgundy, there were only 29 HVE-certifed farms. The Ministry doesn't seem to have more up-to-date number easily found on their website, but I suspect that there are many more than 29 in the Burgundy region now, but adoption of HVE is probably still lagging behind there. I can say, though, that of the close to 300 French wines I have, the vast majority of HVE is from Bordeaux. Especially since most of my vintages are 2019 and earlier anyway.

  • 9 months ago

    In the The Vigneron’s Struggle section, Lutte Raisonnée / Lutte Intégrée isn't an officially recognized farming practice anymore. While some may still practice it, the HVE (Haut Valeur Environmentale) certification is now the official sustainability certification. There is another one that mostly done in Champagne, but this is the one pushed by the French Ministry of Agriculture (https://agriculture.gouv.fr/hev-certification).

  • 11 months ago in reply to Vivian Mehnert

    Thanks, Vivian! The EG is updated to feature the style. 

  • 11 months ago

    I know it's not a major style in the grand scheme of things, but it might be worth noting under the Mâconnais section the Levrouté wines of Viré-Clessé. 

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