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Much smaller than the Bordeaux viticultural region, Burgundy is more about diversity rather than quantity. Though Burgundy only comprises 5% of France’s total vineyard area, it holds 100 different Appellations, 25% of the entire French total. The most fragmented in the world, the Burgundian vineyard looks like a mosaic made up of thousands of plots of land, called ‘climats’ in this context, each climate producing its own appellation wine with its own identity, character, magic…
From North to South, it covers 5 great flagship regions of production: vineyards of Chablis known exclusively for dry white wines, Côte de Nuits, home of the great vigorous and fleshy red Burgundies, Côte de Beaune with some of the world most renowned dry whites (other than Chablis), Côte Chalonnaise, and finally Mâconnais.
The first reference to the Burgundy vine can be traced back to 312. The Benedictine and Cistercians monks played a key role in developing the Burgundy wine quality and industry. Through the emergence of the “clos” at that time, they underlined the climate notion and built these wines’ identity.
Two Burgundian varietals predominate: Pinot Noir for the Reds and Chardonnay for the whites. The “Aligoté” grape results in a dry white wine. The region’s sedimentary soils are essentially composed of clay, marls and limestone, deposited here 150 million years ago in the Jurassic period.
With its very changing climate factor, along with the fragmentation in sometimes tiny parcels and the hard-to-grow grape varieties, each vintage offers a singular character and results in a heterogeneous production.
Whether ordinary or fine, a Burgundy red wine must be subtle and sensual. After a couple of years aged in cellar, the best vintages reveal a great aromatic richness. With age, and they age beautifully, the whites wines gain complexity, just like the reds.
Burgundy wines are a pleasure to enjoy at any time…
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