How to Untangle Burgundy

The easy.

It’s easy to purchase Burgundy in some respects because there is one red, Pinot Noir, and one white, Chardonnay.

In truth, white Aligoté and red Gamay are grown in small amounts in Burgundy but are not primary grapes.  

The difficult.

The difficulty is that there are many small producers, and the naming convention on Burgundy labels can be confusing. Even with this, superb Burgundies can be found with careful attention to the wine’s origin (vineyard, village, region), reputation, and vintage.        

Origin.    

Quality levels and geographic boundaries are intertwined within the four levels of Burgundy classification: Regional, Village, Premier Cru, and Grand Cru.

For your information, Chablis is officially part of Burgundy but has a similar classification system and only grows Chardonnay. I will cover it in a later article.

Regional AOCs – are large geographic areas that make up about 50% of wine from Burgundy. There are twenty-three regional AOCs in Burgundy. To identify these wines, look for the term “Burgundy Wine” or “Appellation Bourgogne Contrôlée” listed on the label. The grapes can come from anywhere within the boundaries of Burgundy and are of average-quality wines.  

Village AOCs – in French, a commune is a village or parish, and forty-four village or communal AOCs in Burgundy make up 35% of the total wine. The grapes must be grown in or around the named village, e.g., Mercurey, and can be good wines for the price.

Village Premier Crus – six hundred Premier Cru vineyards within the forty-four villages; these are higher quality wines than the village and regional wines. The village name is listed on the label in large letters, followed by the vineyard name. The terms “Premier Cru” or “1er Cru” will be included on the label to make it easy to identify. Premier Cru wine must be produced from a single vineyard within the named village. These vineyards produce ripe fruit from sun-exposed hillside land and make up for 12% of the wine from Burgundy. Finding a good Premier Cru at a reasonable price is best.    

Grand Cru AOCs – thirty-three Grand Cru vineyards are considered their wine regions and given AOC status. This is only 2% of Burgundy’s wine and is reasonably expensive to very expensive, with the grapes coming from the absolute best vineyards. Wine labels will include the Grand Cru vineyard name and the term “Grand Cru.”  

Reputation.

Using sites such as WineEnthusiast.com, you can easily find highly rated and recommended wines based on vineyards and producers. Look for statements in the ratings about the producer’s consistency in making good wine year after year.

Vintage.

Growing conditions for wine production are recorded and evaluated yearly. To determine good grape-growing years, consult vintage charts like this one from Wine Spectator: vintage chart.

What makes them so good?

Due to several factors, Premier and Grand Cru Burgundies are the highest expressions of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Pinot Noir, grown in Burgundy’s cooler climate, produces silky, smooth, and complex wine with layered earthy aromas and flavors. Chardonnay, grown on the limestone-based soil of Burgundy, gives the wine acidity and fresh mineral characteristics like no other place on earth.

The viticulturists of Burgundy know how to care for their vines. They plant the best vineyards facing south to maximize sun exposure and on hilly ground with well-drained soil. The weather in this part of France can be challenging due to limited sunshine, cold weather, wind, and summer hailstorms, so knowing when to harvest is an art and a science.

Finally, centuries of experience in handling and crafting wine from these grape types have produced some of the best wines in the world.     

And so expensive?

Compared to Bordeaux, Burgundy produces one-quarter the volume of wine, and only 14% of that is of the Premier and Grand Cru levels. Thus, the Premier Cru and Grand Crus command high prices in great demand due to their uniqueness and limited supply.