05/03/2024
Arguably the greatest wine region in France (and the world), is Burgundy (Bourgogne) and it sub regions (listed North to South) of Chablis, Cote d'Or (Cote de Nuits & Cote de Beaune), Cote Chalonnais and Maconnais.
Simply, if the wine is white the grape variety is Chardonnay; red, Pinot Noir. Regional wines (Bourgogne Blanc & Bourgogne Rouge) the most common, are produced from grapes grown anywhere in Burgundy. There are over 40 'Village' wines (Beaune, Meursault, Volnay, Nuits St George, Pouilly-Fuisse, Vosne-Romanee etc) generally higher priced and of better quality and over 35% of production is of Village wines. The next step up the quality (& price) ladder are the Premier Cru (or 1er Cru) wines. These are specific vineyards and wines are labellled with the village AND vineyard ( Beaune 'Bressandes', Puligny -Montrachet 'Les Folitaires', Nuit St Georges 'Les St George'). There are 640 Premier Cru Vineyards and account for 10% of production. At the top of 'quality, price, limited quantity' are the Grand Crus and only the vineyard name is on the label. 'La Tache', 'Montrachet', 'Echezeaux', 'Bonne Mares'. 1% of Burgundies wines are Grand Cru's.
Thank you to Wine Folly for the map of Burgundy!