Climate Cooler than Bordeaux, landlocked with colder winter temperatures although usually dry in winter. This area tends to receive heavy rains in May and June and again in October. Frost and hail can also affect the Chablis area. Overall summer is shorter and more variable than Bordeaux. This results in more swings in vintage quality.

The Wines The wines of Burgundy are made from one type of grape versus Bordeaux where blends of grapes are the rule.

The Vineyards Usually have many owners where Bordeaux vineyards are owned by one person or company and are kept contiguous. The soils range from limestone, chalk and marlstone to clay. With the white wines usually grown higher on the slopes where more stones and chalk are present. Clay is more common on the lower hillsides.

Some Terms

Terroir Soil type, drainage of water, protection from winds and rain, exposure to the sun, climate.

Negociant Wine merchant, of utmost importance in Burgundy where 52,800 acres are owned by 10,000 growers or vignerons. The negociant may buy grapes or finished wines from growers, yet the negociant has his own label and does all the marketing and promotion of the wines and it is his reputation that is the crucial point.

Proprietaire-Recoltants Independent growers who sell under their own label.

Mise en bouteilles au domaine Bottled at the wine growing estate.

Negociant-Eleveurs Merchants who purchase grapes or wines from growers, to age and bottle in their own cellars. The advantage of the Negociant is that they can choose and invest in better lots of grapes from a variety of sources and upgrade their wineries with new equipment and maintain a more consistent style and quality level.

White wines Made mostly from Chardonnay grapes, the best are fermented in small oak with malolactic fermentation, and batonnage [stirring of the lees in barrel]. These whites are said to be the finest in all the world.

Red wines In Beaujolais the grape is the Gamay while to the north the Pinot Noir is planted. The Pinot Noir has a thin skin and is disease sensitive. At its best it produces wines of tremendous aromas of cherry, strawberry or raspberry with subtle nuances of earth and spice. Different clones of Pinot Noir are planted with a renewed interest in the older types with smaller berries that have loose bunches and are less prone to rot. The best wines are from low yielding vines usually older, planted in the best sites, where winemakers try to preserve the identity of the grapes from specific vineyard sites.

History The vines in this area were probably growing during the Roman era around 300 B.C. and later in the middle ages the nobility often donated vineyards to the Church. Monasteries produced wines in the 6th century, tasted and analyzed the wines, kept records and purchased vineyards and walled in vineyards calling them clos. In the 14th century Philip the Bold-Duke of Burgundy gave an edict forbidding the Gamay and over fertilizing of soils. At the end of the 18th century the vineyards were confiscated and sold during the Revolution and later by Napoleonic decree were equally divided among the children of the new owners instead of going to the oldest son as had been the tradition. This is the reason for the fragmented ownership of the vineyards of Burgundy. In the 19th century Phyloxera and Oidium or Powdery mildew devastated Burgundy. In 1855 the vineyards were classified but were not put into appellation Controlee until the 1930's.

The Appellations Subregions [Important] Departments [Not important]

Chablis Yonne
Cote de Nuits Cote D'Or
Cote de Beaune Cote D'Or
Cote Chalonnaise Soane-et-Loire
Maconnais Soane-et-Loire
Beaujolais Rhone

Quality Levels
Regional: Labeled as Bourgogne.

Commune or Village: Village town or hamlet, they have their
own appellation with lower yields, higher minimum alcohol
content, example: Vosne-Romanee. Try to memorize the town names as this will help you to identify the next 2 levels as well.

Premier Cru: [1er cru] Single vineyard of that rating, it can also be a blend, example: Beaune-Boucherottes, Beaune Premier Cru [a blend of different vineyards].

Grand Cru: These wines do not list the commune or village of
origin as they have their own appellation. There are 30 Grand Crus
in the Cote D'Or, seven in Chablis, and none in the Maconnais,
Chalonnais or Beaujolais.

Cote D'Or: Thirty miles long by 2 miles wide, The finest area in the world for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The Cote de Nuits portion has mostly red wines while the Cote de Beaune has both red and white. The best exposures are east, southeast, and south facing vineyards.

The Villages

Cote de Nuits: Marsannay, Fixin, Gevrey-Chambertin, Morey-St. Denis,
Chambolle-Musigny, Vougeot, Flagey-Echezaux, Vosne-Romanee, Nuits-St. Georges.

Cote de Beaune: Ladoix, Pernand-Vergelesses, Aloxe-Corton, Savigny-les-Beaune, Chorey-les-Beaune, Beaune, Pommard, Volnay, St. Romain, Monthelie, Auxey-Duresses, Meursault, St. Aubin, Puligny Montrachet, Santenay.

Chablis: Nose of acacia, hay, flint, grapefruit, green apples and honey. Tinge of green color.
Quality levels
Petit Chablis: Minimum alcohol 9.5% [rarely seen].

Chablis: Minimum alcohol 10%.

Premier Cru: Minimum alcohol 10.5%, 40 climats bottled under 12 sites.
Example: Vaillon
Grand Cru: Minimum alcohol 11%, 250 acres seven Grand Crus.
Example: Les Clos

Cote Chalonnaise: Givry, Montagny, Rully, Mercurey.

Maconnais: A larger and important area 31 miles by 9 miles. 2/3 Chardonnay much warmer than Chablis.
Macon Villages, Pouilly Fuisse, St. Veran, Pouilly Vinzelles,
Pouilly Loche.

Beaujolais: See previous notes.

Maison Louis Jadot Quality Measures: They are the largest supplier of Burgundy to the United States and are owned by Kobrand the only U. S. company to own vineyards in Burgundy [as of 1999].

Triage: The sorting of grapes done on a conveyor once in the vineyard and then again before the crush.

Saignee: The bleeding off of some of the juice, leaving more skins and solids to juice ratio for more complex concentrated wines.

Replis: The downgrading by blending in higher quality wines into levels beneath to increase richness and concentration. Example: Beaujolais Villages into Beaujolais, Cru Beaujolais into Beaujolais Villages, Village level wines into Gevrey Chambertin.