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by Tom Cannavan The fine wines of Burgundy and Bordeaux could not be further apart in terms of what "makes them tick". Whilst Bordeaux is dominated by large estates each producing a classic red wine, Burgundy is composed of thousands of small-scale growers, often with only tiny parcels of land, who may make a range of a dozen or more different wines, both red and white. In Bordeaux, almost all wine is labelled Mis en Bouteille au Chteau which means the whole process, from growing the grapes to bottling the wine, is carried out by the Chteau. Whilst there are many similar producers in Burgundy (usually referred to as "domaines" rather than "chteaux"), a very significant part of the production comes from ngociants: merchants who may own no vineyards, but who buy grapes and finished wines for blending and bottling under their own label.
Chablis by far the most northerly of Burgundy's regions exclusively for dry white wines. The Cte de Nuits home of the great red Burgundies. S white is produced too, but the reds are the region's glory The Cte de Beaune known for both red and white win the greatest white Burgundies (other than Chablis) are fr The Cte Chalonnaise generally regarded as a lesser d still produces some extremely fine wines, both red and w The Mconnais the southern limit of Burgundy. Wines t cheaper and made for drinking young but can be excelle
Beaujolais (not shown) is quite a bit further south. Thou part of Burgundy, it is usually included when we talk abo
region.
Grapes
The great Burgundies, both red and white, are un-blended wines made from a single grape variety. This again is a major difference from Bordeaux. The grapes used are: Pinot Noir (red wines) Chardonnay (white wines)
Various other grape varieties are permitted within Burgundy, though these are never used in the great wines and can be considered as the "second rank" of grapes. They will appear in budget level bottlings and are increasingly common the further south you travel into the Cte Chalonnaise, Mconnais and Beaujolais. Varieties include: Gamay (red wines) Aligot, Pinot Blanc (white wines)
particular village should be of quite high quality though they will usually be blends from many different vineyards. The Village Premiers Crus are from particularly good vineyards surrounding a village. A wine labelled AC Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru should be significantly better than AC ChassagneMontrachet. These wines are usually blended from various smaller individual Premier Cru vineyards. Individual Vineyard Premiers Crus come from superior vineyards, the name of which is shown on the label: Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru Champgains for example. These wines should be extremely fine and worth the considerable money they cost. Grands Crus are the lite of Burgundy. These wines come from the very best slopes and the label will bear only the name of the vineyard, not the name of any village. Examples include: Musigny, Montrachet, Echzeaux. These wines - both red or white - cost a small fortune but should be the epitome of fine wine. Often the 1er or Grand Cru sites are shared by many growers, the land divided into small parcels owned by each. A dozen different producers might each make an Echzeaux Grand Cru, for example. Other sites are Monopoles, that is the whole Cru is owned by one domaine, like La Tche Grand Cru, owned solely by Domaine de la Romane-Conti.
Further south the Cte de Beaune is most famous for its whites, but there are very good, reliable, sturdy Pinots Noirs. They might lack the finesse of the best Cte de Nuits, but they are also a little cheaper. Corton is the only red Grand Cru of the Cte de Beaune, whilst Pommard is probably the most widely known red of the region, made just south of the city of Beaune.
Chardonnay from here is quite different from Chablis. It is generally aged in oak barrels and the fruit is usually more ripe giving much fuller, rounder wines. The best known villages of the area include Meursault, PulignyMontrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet. As elsewhere in Burgundy, quality and prices vary dramatically. The wines at Premier Cru level and above should be nutty, buttery and toasty, but with racy acidity and often hints of unusual mineral and stony flavours. Unusually, these are white wines that can reward cellaring for between 5 and 15 years.