They have their
honored place in the cellars and at the tables of wine-lovers
the world over. More than one half of Burgundy’s annual
production of 180 million bottles is exported to 150 different
countries.
Today the vineyards of Burgundy cover an area of some 25,000
hectares, divided into five main growing-areas. From north to
south they are : Chablis, Côte de Nuits, Côte de Beaune, Côte
Chalonnaise and Mâconnais ; and finally, to the West the
vineyards of Pouilly-sur-Loire and Pouilly-Fumé.
The Vineyards and Wines
of Burgundy
| The tasting cup...
The ‘tastevin’ is a silver tasting cup that dates
back to the 17th century.
Every winegrower
would have one to judge the colour, the ‘nose’ and the taste
of wine. |
 |
Chablis
Auxerrois – Tonnerrois – Vézelay
The most northerly of Burgundy’s wine-growing
districts has won an undying reputation the world
over for the elegance and fruit of its great dry white
wines. The Chablis vineyards cover some 4,000 hectares and
take in twenty or so «communes» (parishes) standing on the
chalky-clay soils of the Serein valley.
Irancy
The grape grown here
is
Chardonnay and it yields a variety of wines arranged into
four categories, according to quality : Chablis Grand Cru,
Chablis Premier Cru, Chablis and Petit Chablis.
Nearby are
the Auxerrois, Tonnerrois, Vézelay, and Côte Saint-Jacques
vineyards covering 1,300 hectares in all, which produce a full
range of white, red and rosé burgundies – not forgetting the
new village appellation, Irancy, and the sparkling Crémant de
Bourgogne. Côte de Nuits
Hautes-Côtes de Nuits
Châtillonnais
Auxey-Duresses
The
prestige of the Côtes de Nuits’ great
wines has earned it the title of «the
Champs Elysées of Burgundy». The vineyards stretch in a
narrow east-facing band of gold and purple along the hillsides
between Marsannay and Corgoloin.
Fixin a little South of Marsannay
The «clos» (walled vine)
date back to the vinegrowing estates of the great tenthcentury
abbeys. To the monks, also, we owe much of our
traditional lore concerning «terroir» – the patch of native
soil
from which a wine derives its special character – and of
«climats»- distinct, named plots of land.
This is the kingdom
of the Pinot Noir grape which lords it over 3,200 hectares
and eight mouth-wateringly named villages. All the Grands
Crus of Burgundy (except Corton) – famous names such as
Chambertin, Clos de Vougeot and Romanée-Conti – have
their home in this piece of smiling countryside. Further back
are hillslopes of the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits –550 hectares of
splendid vines yielding fine burgundies renowned for their
balance and aromatic qualities.
Côte de Beaune
Hautes-Côtes de Beaune
Burgundy’s wine-capital, Beaune, lends its name to
6,000 hectares of majestic vineyards which extend
from the village of Ladoix-Serrigny to the hillslopes of
the Maranges.
Auxey-Duresses in the heart of Cote de Beaune country
Variations in terroir hereabouts make the wines
of the Côte de Beaune as diverse in character as they are high
in quality – a spectrum which ranges from full, harmonious
thoroughbred reds to great rich whites, complex and subtle
whose names – Meursault, Montrachet and Corton
Charlemagne – are a byword among lovers of great dry white
wines the world over. And as you make your way along the
«Routes des vins», don’t miss the 650 hectares of the Hautes-Côtes de Beaune, whose handsome vineyards have earned a
high reputation for both red and white burgundies. Côte Chalonnaise
Couchois
Geographically the Côte Chalonnaise is a natural
extension of the Côte de Beaune, and its
vineyards, helped by their favourable aspect,
follow the same vocation of producing great wines from the
two chief grape varieties of Burgundy, Chardonnay and
Pinot Noir. Rully, Mercurey, Givry and Montagny are the
leading lights of this fine 4,400 hectares vineyard district.
Coches home of the excellent Cote du Cochois
In addition, the little commune of Bouzeron produces a
Bourgogne Aligoté with its own unique character, and both
the Côte Chalonnaise and the neighbouring Couchois
vineyards yield excellent Côtes du Couchois, village or
regional appellations burgundies and Crémant de
Bourgogne, all with their own marked personalities.
Pouilly-sur-Loire
Pouilly-fumé
The vineyards of Pouilly-sur-Loire lie in the West
of Burgundy, but are not included in the
Burgundy wine appellations. Nearly 1,000
hectares of marly soils are planted with the Sauvignon
grape known as «blanc fumé» on account of the smoky
grey tinge of the ripe fruit.
Pouilly-sur-Loire with the Sauvignon grape
The wines are perfumed,
spicy and with a characteristic «gunflint» edge and notes
of tuberose flower, box or broom. Lying off the beaten
track of the «Route des Vins», this district offers
panoramic views of the Loire Valley from the
picturesque hamlets of Loges and Saint-Andelain. Mâconnais
In the Mâconnais, the southernmost as well the largest
of Burgundy’s winegrowing districts (6,000 hectares),
there is already a hint of the Midi in the air. The
softness and gentle charm of this region of contrasts and
harmonies is as seductive now as when, nearly two
centuries ago, it inspired the poet Alphonse de Lamartine.
Maconnais
Here, between Tournus and the fringes of the Beaujolais,
the Chardonnay gives of its best, yielding great white
wines, fresh and fruity, with subtle and captivating
bouquets under the names of Mâcon, Mâcon-Villages, and
the Mâconnais crus of Viré-Clessé, Saint-Véran, Pouilly-Fuissé, Pouilly-Vinzelles, and Pouilly-Loché.
And the
Mâconnais reds, grown from the Gamay grape, are known
by their deep red colour with a hint of violet and can
astonish you with their freshness and red-fruit perfume.
Look for this sign...“From vineyards to cellars”
It is characteristic of unhurried Burgundian thoroughness
that the masters of the wine-growing
art are just as attentive to visitor’s
questions as they are to the contents of their
cellars.
Some 280 wine-growers have opened their
cellars to visitors and published an extremely
informative brochure, “From Vineyards to
Cellars”, available from all Burgundy tourist offices. credits
: Burgundy
Tourist Board
France Regions Burgundy
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