The roots of Burgundy
are the roots of French history. The Grand Duchy
of Burgundy covered much of eastern France, and
was dotted with castles and monasteries, centers
of power, knowledge and wealth. It was early monks
who planted the first vineyards, studied variations
of soils and terroir, mapped the Cote d'Or and
invented the idea of cru.
After the French Revolution, the monasteries
were disbanded, and while some aristocrats managed
to hold on to their vineyard properties intact,
the vineyards of the common people were divided
and subdivided over generations of marriage, intermarriage,
and inheritance law. Modern Burgundian growers
might own several small plots of vines in many
different villages; the lots from each vinified
and bottled into separate wines. Whereas a Bordeaux
producer might sell one or two wines under his
estate name, a Burgundy producer might make ten
or more different wines. To give it another spin,
the 125 acre Grand Cru vineyard Clos de Vougeot
had one owner at the time of the Revolution. Today,
it has over 80!
Burgundy has five distinct regions: from north
to south they are: Chablis, Cote d'Or (divided
into the Cote de Nuits in the south and Cotes
de Beaune in the north), Cote Chalonaise, Maconnais
and Beaujolais. The Cote d'Or has 28 different
wine-producing villages or communes, surrounded
by a total of 20,000 acres of vineyards. Burgundy
is known for many expressions of two great varietals:
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. In addition, there
is fruity, lively Gamay from Beaujolais and lemony-tart
Aligoté, planted in lesser vineyard sites.
The term Domaine is commonly used in Burgundy
to refer to a vine-growing and winemaking estate.
In Burgundy, more so than almost any other wine
region except perhaps Alsace and Germany, classification
of vineyard land depends upon terroir, and more
specifically soil. The entire Cote lies on a bedrock
of limestone, as opposed to the gravels and granite
of the Médoc. Over the centuries, Burgundian
winemakers became convinced that there are quantifiable
differences in wine quality from one plot of land
to another. Thus, in Burgundy one can find a Grand
Cru rated vineyard a few meters from a humble
Village. As a general rule, the best sites are
considered to be those situated midway on well-drained
hillsides, with maximum exposure to heat and light.
As you drive north to south along the Route des
Grand Crus, look to your right for a view of many
of the finest vineyards.
