•Fiche N°20 UK Bourgogne Vezelay.qxp:1 27/04/10 13:26 Page 37

LOCATION There have been vines at Vézelay since Gallo-Roman times (from late 1st / early 2nd century AD). The remains of a temple dedicated to Bacchus were discovered APPELLATION D’ORIGINE CONTROLEE beneath the church of Saint-Étienne. A Benedictine monastery was founded at Vézelay in 860 AD which subsequently became an important place of Regional appellation of the Vézelay wine-growing district (dept. of ). pilgrimage for devotees of Mary Magdalene and one of the starting points for The name VÉZELAY may only be aded to the word BOURGOGNE in the case the pilgrimage to Saint James of Compostela. The growing importance of of white wines produced within a defined area of the appellation. Vézelay stimulated the local wine industry. Indeed, until the phylloxera crisis Producing communes : Vézelay, Asquins, Saint-Père, . of 1884, Vézelay supplied wine to Paris. On the label, the word VÉZELAY must immediately follow the word Vézelay and its basilica are a designated UNESCO World Heritage Site and form BOURGOGNE in letters of the same size. a marvellous backdrop to the vineyards. The rebirth of these vineyards, which began in the 1970s, was the work of a group of little villages clustered around the hill of Vézelay, their spiritual centre. By the grace of God, the vines - and TASTING NOTES especially the Chardonnay - flourished there, and the district was awarded the Mstislav Rostropovitch, the great musician who came here to record BOURGOGNE appellation in 1985 and the right to add its own name in 1996. the whole of Bach's suites for the solo cello, compared the wine of Vézelay to the architecture of the Ste. Madeleine basilica : both represent SOILS a marriage between passion and harmony. Indeed, this is a white wine which truly lifts the spirit - pale gold, radiant, breathing flower scents with Geologically the district lies at the junction between the sedimentary rocks a hint of mint. In the mouth it is fresh, simple and spontaneous with an of the Paris basin and the crystalline rocks of central . There is much occasional touch of honey. faulting and the hill-slopes vary in character. A funnel-shaped valley, open to the south, lies at the foot of the limestone slopes, and through this runs the river . SERVING SUGGESTIONS Its fresh and spontaneous character gives it the necessary strength to be COLOUR(S) AND GRAPE VARIETY(IES) paired with cooked shellfish and the delicacy of its aromas makes it White wines only - Chardonnay. an obvious choice to go with steamed or poached fresh-water fish. Its vivacity enlivens cheese-topped pasta or rice and has a natural affinity with goat’s cheese and taramasalata (a spread made of carp roe). That same vivacity PRODUCTION balances even heavier dishes such as fried eggs or omelettes with herbs. Serving temperature : 11 to 13 °C. Area under production* : Average annual yield** : 1 hectare (ha) = 10,000 m2 = 24 "ouvrées" 1 hectolitre (hl) = 100 litres = 133 bottles 47.11 ha 2,291 hl * In 2008 ** 5 years average, 2004-2008

(FACT-SHEET No. 20) Syndicat pour la reconstitution du vignoble de Vézelay www.burgundy-wines.fr 89450 VÉZELAY