Burgundy

Burgundy (Bourgogne in French) is the second largest AC region in France, in terms of production volume. It lies on the central of France, a very long band, stretched from the north Chablis (close to Paris) to the south Beaujolais (close to Rhone Valley). The style is varied due to the geological and climate difference.

The region grows Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Gamay grapes with a minority of Aligote, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Melon de Bourgogne. The region is the hometown for Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Gamay. The viticulture and winemaking practice along with its style are regarded as references for making those wines.

The classification of Burgundy is very specific and rigid. It moves from a generic regional AC (Bourgogne AC) to a single vineyard AC (in general, Grand Cru and Premier Cru vineyard AC).

There are 6 major districts AC across the whole area. Starting from the most northerly one, they are: Chablis, Cote de Nuit, Cote de Beaume, Cote Chalonnaise, Macon and Beaujolais.

Commune AC – is the next step up to the district AC, representing the village character. Some of those communes are named with a fix of the greatest name of the vineyard in this commune i.e. Vosne Romanee is named with the name of the great vineyard – Romanee Conti. The label will have the name of the village displayed on the label.

Single Vineyard AC (Grand Cru and Premier Cru) – is the highest level of AC in Burgundy. One single vineyard represents one single AC. If the wine uses more than one Grand Cru or Premier Cru single vineyard fruits, it has to be labeled Grand Cru or Premier Cru only without the vineyards name. In burgundy, it is very common for a vineyard to be shared by more than two producers (Domain). It is very rare to see a vineyard own by only one producer, i.e. La Tache is thoroughly owned by Domain la Romanee de Conti. If that’s the case, normally the producer will put ‘Monopole’ on the label, showing its pedigree.