Burgundy and It’s Subregions

The Burgundy wine region is unlike any other due to it’s intricate tapestry of terroir. Here, soil isn’t just dirt, but a lineage of generations and a saga of centuries-long history. Burgundy is fiercely dedicated to individuality - each vineyard, plot of land - even a group of specific vines - treated as a distinct entity and celebrated for its unique character. For me, it’s one of my favorite regions to study - combining history dating back to the middle ages with quirky geographical intricacies and of course, incredibly tasting wines.

The sub-regions of Burgundy (not including Beaujolais - an entity of it’s own)

history

We’ve gone over the history of Burgundy in a previous post, but the region is so important, that it’s worth noting again. At the end of the 17th century, much of what is now Burgundy was owned by the Roman Catholic Church (my Catholic schooling would be remiss if I didn’t mention that this was during the era of reformation and an eventual revival within France). The Church loaned the land to Cisterian monks in the area (a sect of monks who believe that hard, arduous work would bring them closer to God), who in turn cultivated the land for them. During this time they noticed the variety of land and went about delineating and codifying vineyards by their terroir, plot by plot, also known as climats.

Following the French Revolution, the French government made an effort to set all men on an equal level via the Napoleonic Code of 1804 (the gist very similar to the Declaration of Independence). What this meant was the Church (seen at the time - and now - let’s be honest - to be a too powerful entity in state) had their land taken away, and the goverment divyed that up into small parcels to be given to poor local peasants. This is why you’ll see a number of tiny vineyards within a village, further divided by a number of families owning a few rows of vines in each vineyard… thus shaping the region of Burgundy.

subregions

As the northernmost of all global wine regions, Burgundy is comprised of 5 subregions - though technically speaking it’s not entirely accurate. Côte d’Or, Côte Chalonnaise, Macônnais, Chablis and Beaujolais are the 5 subregions. However, the famous Côte d’Or is made up of 2 regions - Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune, and Beaujolais does not have the same terroir or characteristics of the other subregions, however, French law includes it in Burgundy for administrative purposes. While all 5 are very different, they all share the same typical cool, Burgundian climate and they mainly export Chardonnay and/or Pinot Noirs. By law, all red Burgundies MUST be Pinot Noir, with the exception of Beaujolais (Gamay), and (not by law, but might as well be), all Chardonnays from Burgundy are dry.

Chablis

100% Chardonnay

• Northernmost part of Burgundy

• Harsh, wet, cold temperatures often can lead to underripe grapes. Many Chardonnays here are crisp and have high acidity (more than the Chardonnays produced in the South in Maccônnais)

• Majority of the wines here undergo malolactic fermentation in order to cut the acidity and bitterness and instead produce a buttery, smoother mouthfeel

• Numerous Premier Crus and only 1 Grand Cru, which is confusingly made up of 7 climats (often mistaken as Grand Crus)

• Own classification system:

  • Petit Chablis - most common in France (kind of rare in the U.S.)

  • Chablis - also known as Villages; grapes can be grown anywhere in the region

  • Chablis Premier Cru - grapes are grown in one of the 89 Premier Cru sites; These are best value

  • Chablis Grand Cru - grapes are grown in one of the 7 Grand Crus

Côte Chalonnaise

60% Pinot Noir | 40% Chardonnay

• Located south of Cote d’Or, and is lesser known

• Top villages to remember: Merccurey, Givry, Rully, Bouzeron, Montagny

• Because it’s less popular than Cote d’Or, these wines are typically cheaper - so it could be a great wine to find bargains!

• Much of basic Bourgogne is produced here

Côte d’Or

• A 30 mile long limestone ridge (côte does mean slope after all), Côte d’Or is Burgundy’s most renowned wine region

• Because of it’s small size, Pinot Noirs here are incredibly expensive

• Of Burgundy’s 33 Grand Crus, 32 are located here (the remaining 1 located in Chablis)

Côte de Beaune

30% Chardonnay | 70% Pinot Noir, Chardonnays dominate

• Renowned dry Chardonnays

• Top Chardonnay producing villages include Meursault (the first vineyard recorded in Burgundy), Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet

• Largest Grand Cru is located here - Croton-Charlemagne

• Top Pinot producing villages include Aloxe-Croton (home to the only 5 Crus in Cote de Beaune), Beaune, Pommard, Volnay

• Pinot Noirs here are usually softer and more lush than those from Côte de Nuits

Côte de Nuits

90% Pinot Noir | 5% Chardonnay, Pinot Noirs dominate

• Côte de Nuit Pinot Noirs are the benchmark

• Location of the majority of Grand Crus, even if it is one of the smallest French appellations

• Pinot Noirs here have greater intensity and structure than those from Côte de Beaune, are fermented and vatted for 6-12 days and over 60% are domaine bottled

Mâconnais

85% Chardonnay | 15% Pinot Noir

• Southernmost part of Burgundy - therefore the warmest

• Chardonnay grapes originated in the Village Chardonnay here

• Generally, Chardonnays are pleasant, light and uncomplicated, relatively good value; Additionally, these Chardonnays aren’t aged in oak, and instead are ready to drink

• Some of the main appellations of the Mâconnais region:

  • Mâcon

  • Mâcon-Villages - comprised of 26 villages across the district; Generally, these are the best value (so buy if the village is named!)

  • Saint Veran - located in Hautes-Alpes (heart of the French Alps)

  • Pouilly-Vinzelles - located in the communes of Vinzelles, Chardonnays from here are more powerful and aromatic

  • Pouilly-Fuisse - the most distinguished Ma. onnais subregion and the only Mâconnais appellation to have Premier Cru vineyards

closing thoughts

While a relatively small slice of France (the world, really), Burgundy is really one of the most unique regions when you look at wine. It’s long history, and incredible wines make it world renowned, while it’s numerous classifications and number of appellations (out of France’s 450 appellations, 85 are in Burgundy alone), make it incredibly confusing and intimidating.

Here are a few tips when looking to buy a Burgundy wine:

• Usually, words in the largest font size will specify where the grapes are grown (not the producers name). This can help you narrow down the quality and type of wine you’re looking at.

• Vintages in Burgundy are especially important, as the differences year to year are very apparent

• A general way you can try to see if the wine is a Village or a vineyard wine is to look at the name:

  • Vineyards are typically preceded by “the” - or in French, “Le” or “La” (La Tâche, Le Montrachet)

  • Villages generally have hyphenated names like Chambolle-Musigny, or Gevrey-Chambertin

    • Burgundy villages have grown wise and annexed the name of the top vineyard in the area in order to benefit from it’s name brand prestige

• Lastly, because Burgundies (both white and red) are aromatic by nature and change significantly after being poured, they taste best when served in a large glass