Burgundy

Burgundy, the mythical home of wines made from Pinot Noir & Chardonnay … don’t forget Aligoté & Gammay too!

Located in the middle of France on the eastern side. There is no other wine region that has been defined in such incredible detail. Each vineyard has been named and classified. Within these vineyards their are also Lieux Dits  referring to a specific part of a vineyard or region recognized for its own topographic or historical specificities.

This detailed definition allows for the equally detailed exploration of terroir. Hereditary tittle law in France has seen vineyards split between siblings generation after generation. Many incredibly small parcels producing only enough grapes to yield a single barrel of wine exist. This further extends our ability to see terroir in action vs the hand of the maker with many of the great vineyards having dozens of owners each producing minuscule volumes of wine.

The opportunity to taste them side by side is becoming increasingly difficult as scarcity drives prices up!

The most famous and coveted wines are the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay of the Côte de Nuits and Côte du Beaune. Together they form a narrow escarpment running north-south over a distances of less than 50kms.

Much further north the Chardonnay from Chablis stands comfortably on it’s own two feet with some delicious mineral, fine wines with insane ability to age.

To the south excellent wines are produced in the Côte Chalonnaise and Mâconnais, home to Chardonnays of exceptional value & personality.

Further again the Gammay from Beaujolais represents some of the beast value wines from Burgundy.

We’ve shared a series of articles in the Wine Bites Mag “Getting Your Head Around Burgundy” deep diving into the region.

Where marginal climate saw a high proportion of tough vintages in Burgundy. In ability to rippen grapes is less often a problem today. Catastrophic frosts and hail storms more of an issue.