We sell gift vouchers - for more details call us on 0115 911 0555 or email us at eann@gauntleys.com
We sell gift vouchers - for more details call us on 0115 911 0555 or email us at eann@gauntleys.com
With its roots dating back over 2000 years: Burgundy is a perfect marriage of old-world traditions and new-age winemaking methods. The spiritual home of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, this land of enchanting terroirs may be small in size, however, its stature in the world of wine cannot be overstated. The hallowed vineyards of Burgundy remain one of the world’s most highly revered sources of fine wines today and no serious wine collector should be without a selection of these treasures in their cellar.
Its vineyards stretch out across some 100,000 acres, and with 100 different appellations (more than any other wine region in France); each with its own unqiue AOC wine laws; a rich kaleidoscope of different terroirs, over 3,000 different growers (each with their own uniquely characterful micro-parcel), the breadth and depth of styles to be found on Burgundy’s golden slopes are staggering.
The complexity of Burgundy may seem bewildering, however, you do not need a lifetime of collated knowledge to bask in the Burgundy Sea. Furthermore, there is undoubtedly no better winegrowing region to begin to understand the importance and significance of that mysterious phenomenon, ‘terroir’. Whilst the imprint of the producer is obviously an important influence on the style of a wine, tasting an array of different lieu-dit (Gevrey Chambertin or Meursault for example) from the cellars of any key producer here is truly enthralling. Even where the vinification and elevage from one wine to the next are virtually identical, and the vineyards themselves may literally be only stones throw apart, the difference in fruit profile, minerality and structure can be staggering.
That being said, whilst these wines can be capable of great longevity, they do go through dormant phases after their initial bloom of youth, so if you are dipping your toe into the wonderous Burgundian waters for the first time, it is wise to seek advice from your merchant.
The region was once part of a vast tropical sea some 200 million years ago, and the limestone soils left in its wake are one of the defining trademarks of the region, and what contribute to the wine’s unmistakable style and minerality. Even today, by just taking a stroll through the vineyards, one will likely come across chunks of limestone or marl mixed with clay, containing fossilized sea creatures that have remained in that very spot for millennia.
Burgundy is located in the east of central France. Starting in the Sâone Valley in the North, near Auxerre, it stretches all the way down to Mâcon in the south near the Rhône Valley, consisting of picturesque rolling hills and small valleys with numerous gothic castles and ancient chateaus peppered all around. One of the most northernly fine wine-making regions in Europe, it has a cool continental climate, with warm summers and cold winters. The weather can be very unpredictable, with rains, hail, and frost all possible around harvest time. Such a climate means that vintages in Burgundy can vary considerably in terms of quality and why finding quality wine-makers is so important.
Even though grape varieties such as Aligoté, Pinot Gris, Gamay and Sauvignon Blanc are produced, the primary focus of Burgundy’s production is Pinot Noir for Bourgogne Rouge and Chardonnay for Bourgogne Blanc. To the vignerons of Burgundy, and to many wine enthusiasts around the world the region is not only the spiritual home of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, but is also the home of the ideal terroir for these varieties to reach their zenith and express their truest character – elegant, aromatic and complex.
Burgundy is renowned for its terroir conscious wine-making, boasting more appellations d’origine contrôlée (AOCs) than any other French region. The various Burgundy AOCs are classified from carefully delineated grand cru vineyards down to more non-specific regional appellations.
The practice of delineating vineyards by their terroir in Burgundy goes back to medieval times, when various monasteries played a key role in developing the Burgundy wine industry. Much attention is paid to the origin and type of soil where a wine’s grapes are grown.
Unlike Bordeaux, where classifications are based upon individual chateaux, those in Burgundy are geographically-focused with a given classification assigned to a specific vineyard or region regardless of who produces it. This emphasis can be seen on labels, which highlight the appellation, and place producer information at the bottom in much smaller text.
There are 100 AOCs in Burgundy divided into four quality categories: Bourgogne, Village wines, Premier Cru (which make up 10% of the regions overall wine production) and Grand Cru (33 in total, and almost all are based in the Côte d’Or region and make up only 1-2% of the regions wine production).
The 5 main regions that make up Burgundy are Chablis in the North, the Côtes de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune (collectively known as the Côte d’Or) in the middle, and Chalonnais and Mâconnais in the South.
Chablis is situated much further north than the rest of Burgundy, and is most well-known for its lean Chardonnays, which are taught and fresh due to the cooler climate and kimmeridge clay soils.
In the very south, the largest region in Burgundy, Màconnais, is home to very good value Chardonnay wines as well as charming expressions of Pinot Noir and Gamay. The much warmer climate here counters Chablis’ crisp and fresh Chardonnays with ones of a more structured, round and richer expression: often butterier and with ripe stone and tropical fruit flavours, from appellations such as the famed and picturesque Pouilly-Fuissé.
A mix of lovely, good value red and whites are also produced in Côte Chalonnais, in appellations such Mercurey, Rully and Givry, however by far the most historically important, influential and highly revered regions of Burgundy are in the middle: the Côtes de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune, which collectively form the regal Côte d’Or, or the ‘Golden Slope’.
Located 85 miles southeast of Chablis, The Côte de Nuits, which begins south of Dijon and ends at Corgoloin near Nuits-Saint-Georges, and the Côte de Beaune starting at Ladoix and ending at Dezize-les-Maranges – together form a short 40 km long and 2 km wide wine producing region. This area is made up of a multitude of tiny villages surrounded by a combination of flat and sloped vineyards on the eastern side of a hilly region, providing some rain and weather shelter from the prevailing westerly winds. The Côte de Nuit produces some of the finest and most age-worthy expressions of Pinot Noir in the world, from its closely interlinked net of magical villages including: Gevrey-Chambertin, Vougeot, Vosne-Romanée and Nuits st Georges.
Conversely, the Côte de Beaune is just as highly regarded but predominantly for its contrasting expressions of Chardonnay, which seem to harness the freshness of the north (Chablis) with the richness of the south (Maconnais). The wines here are often barrel-fermented, rich, round and gloriously complex with great acidity to match. Meurseult, Puligny -Montrachet and Chassagne Montrachet are the most notable villages in the region for the whites, whilst Pommard and Volnay produce wonderful expressions of Pinot Noir which often rival those from the Côte de Nuits.
Aside from Chablis Grand Cru, all of the other 32 Grand Cru vineyards in Burgundy are located in the Côtes d’Or. With more exposure to sunlight, the best wines come from middle/top parts of slopes (Grand Cru), followed by slightly lesser exposed areas (Premier Cru). Village level wines on the other hand are grown on flatter lands nearer the villages. Out of 25 red Grand Cru appellations in Burgundy, 24 are found in Côte de Nuits while Côte de Beaune accounts for nearly all white Grand Crus except Musigny blanc and Chablis. This is due to different soil types that favour Pinot Noir & Chardonnay respectively, with the Nuits having a higher concentration of clay soils.
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