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24/8/2015 Burgundy Expanded Guides Expanded Guides Guildsomm Burgundy Contents 1. Lay of the Land 2. Climate 3. The Grapes of Burgundy 4. The Modern AOP System in Burgundy 5. Vin de Pays (IGP) in Burgundy 6. The History of Burgundy: Monks, Germans, and Legionnaires 7. The History of Burgundy: Era of the Valois Dukes (1363-1477) 8. The History of Burgundy: the Climats of Burgundy and Evolving Meaning 9. The History of Burgundy: Fragmentation 10. Domaines and the Négociant 11. Post-Phylloxera Vineyard Architecture 12. The Vigneron's Struggle 13. Replanting and Vine Selection 14. Modern Winemaking Practices 15. Chablis 16. The Côte d'Or 17. Côte de Nuits Village Appellations 18. Côte de Beaune: The Hill of Corton 19. Côte de Beaune: Village Appellations 20. Côte Chalonnaise 21. Mâconnais 22. Beaujolais 23. The Crus of Beaujolais Burgundy (Bourgogne) is a holy grail for wine geeks: a region impossible to master, http://www.guildsomm.com/TC/learn/expanded_guides/b/expanded_guides/archive/2014/09/09/burgundy 1/82 24/8/2015 Burgundy Expanded Guides Expanded Guides Guildsomm impenetrable to the casual observer, and endlessly fascinating. A simple premise—red Burgundy is generally Pinot Noir and white Burgundy is generally Chardonnay—belies a maze of appellations, fractured vineyards, scores of variable producers, and erratic vintage swings. Just getting the right information can be a chore: the vignerons (winegrowers) of Burgundy are an insular lot, and will not readily impart their wisdom and experience to outsiders—and even they are rarely experts beyond the walls of their own domaines or the confines of their own communes. A vigneron in Meursault is unlikely to know much about the vineyards of Morey-St- Denis, and vice versa. To a new student of Burgundy, keep in mind that understanding in this region is a lifelong pursuit. For seasoned Burgundy drinkers, the following guide provides a thorough look at the evolution of winemaking and viticulture in the region, and concludes with detailed notes on each commune and appellation. Note: Unless specifically stated, production and planting statistics throughout this guide do not include the sector of Beaujolais in the Rhône département. Burgundy statistics are courtesy of the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) and Beaujolais statistics are courtesy of Inter-Beaujolais. Lay of the Land Burgundy’s vineyards span four French départements: Yonne, Côte d'Or, Saône-et-Loire, and Rhône, and comprise nearly 30,000 hectares, not including the wines of Beaujolais. While this may seem expansive, compare it to the Rhône Valley’s 70,000 ha, or Bordeaux’s 117,500 ha in production! Even Champagne has more acreage under vine. Winegrowing Areas of Burgundy: 2012 acreage Chablis and the Grand Auxerrois: 6,148 ha Côte de Nuits: 2,607 ha Côte de Beaune: 4,703 ha Côte Chalonnaise: 2,197 ha Mâconnais: 5,767 ha Other Regional Areas: 7,324 Beaujolais: 16,947 ha The Côte d’Or département forms the core of the Région Bourgogne—it is both historic heartland and the source of the region’s most coveted wines. The Côte d’Or winegrowing region itself—Burgundy’s “golden slope”—is a thin ribbon of vineyard extending roughly 60 km from http://www.guildsomm.com/TC/learn/expanded_guides/b/expanded_guides/archive/2014/09/09/burgundy 2/82 24/8/2015 Burgundy Expanded Guides Expanded Guides Guildsomm the outskirts of the city of Dijon southward through the three small communes of Maranges. It is further divided into two subregions: the Côte de Nuits in the north and the Côte de Beaune in the south. The Côte d’Or is a sight to behold: a nearly unbroken string of vineyard plots, inhabiting the eastern- and southeastern-facing slopes of a limestone escarpment—the côtes— whose forested summits essentially mark the winegrowing region’s western edge. The trail of vineyards, which has an average width of about 1 km, grows slimmest near a break in the slope between the communes of Corgoloin and Ladoix-Serrigny—the dividing line between the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune. Dijon is the regional capital, but the city of Beaune is the commercial center for the wine trade in the Côte d’Or. The winegrowing region surrounding the commune of Chablis is Burgundy’s northernmost major outpost, located 130 km northwest of Dijon in the Yonne département. It is Burgundy’s largest white winegrowing region, and one out of five bottles of Burgundy annually bear its name on the label. However, other lesser-known vineyard areas, in Yonne communes like Vézelay, Irancy, Tonnerre, and Joigny, pepper the landscape around Chablis. Collectively, these remaining areas are informally known as the Grand Auxerrois—the land surrounding Auxerre, capital of the Yonne. The Côte Chalonnaise lies to the south of the Côte d’Or in the northern Saône-et-Loire département. It takes its name from the city of Chalon-sur-Saône. Unlike the Côte d’Or, where vineyards essentially follow the contours of a single escarpment, the Côte Chalonnaise lies on the western edge of the Saône River Valley, and its vineyards occupy a series of non-contiguous, gently sloping hillsides. And while generally regarded as a quality winegrowing region, its wines lack the pedigree and price commanded in the Côte d’Or. The river Saône runs 60 km southward from Chalon-sur-Saône to Mâcon, capital of the département and namesake of the Mâconnais winegrowing region. With over 3,500 ha under vine, the Mâconnais is one of the Région Bourgogne’s largest production areas for white wines, second only to Chablis. The northern reaches of the Mâconnais resembles the Côte Chalonnaise, but its landscape turns more dramatic in the south as jagged limestone outcroppings rise up in sharp relief from their surroundings. The Rock of Solutré, highest among them, is perhaps the most emblematic site in the Saône-et-Loire. The changing landscape of the southern Mâconnais signals the arrival of the monts du Beaujolais, a series of choppy, low mountains that reach upwards of 1,000 meters in elevation, and the Beaujolais winegrowing region—Burgundy’s southernmost vineyard area, named for the commune of Beaujeu. While its better wines are produced among the raised northern hillsides and villages, one-third of Beaujolais production occurs in its flatter, broader southern reaches. All but a small northern fragment of Beaujolais—which overlaps the Mâconnais—lies in http://www.guildsomm.com/TC/learn/expanded_guides/b/expanded_guides/archive/2014/09/09/burgundy 3/82 24/8/2015 Burgundy Expanded Guides Expanded Guides Guildsomm the Rhône département, and its southernmost villages of production, just minutes from the city of Lyon, are closer to Vienne in the Northern Rhône Valley than the Côte d’Or. While Beaujolais has historically been grouped with the rest of Burgundy, the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) and Inter-Beaujolais (regional trade organizations) do not overlap, and the INAO publishes separate statistics for each. When considered collectively, Beaujolais typically produces about one-third of the wines of Burgundy. BACK TO TOP Climate The region of Burgundy is positioned between 46-48° latitude; the 47th parallel runs right through Volnay. Its inland, northerly location results in a continental to semi-continental climate with four true seasons. Rainfall, which averaged 750 mm annually from 1980-2009, is spread throughout the year, although May is the wettest month—inviting concerns of mildew and rot— and the late summer is often mercifully drier. Sunshine hours number around 1,300 for the growing season, and average July-August temperatures hover near 20° C (68° F). During the heat of the summer, Burgundy may actually be warmer than many New World Pinot Noir- and Chardonnay-growing regions; however, sunshine and average temperatures throughout the entire season are lower, and the growing season is compressed—harvest often comes abruptly, as the fear of bad autumn weather hangs like a cloud. Chablis is generally cooler and wetter than the Côte d’Or, and much more susceptible to spring frosts. The southern Mâconnais and Beaujolais, on the other hand, are slightly warmer: in the Saône-et-Loire département temperatures throughout most of the year are 1-2° C higher than in the Côte d’Or. Burgundy has always been considered a marginal climate for grape-growing—its successes were dependent on early-ripening varieties, expertly matched to preferred soil, slope and aspect patterns. Historically, budbreak arrived in late April, flowering in mid-June, véraison in early August, and harvesters began their work near the end of September. However, Burgundy’s climate is changing: Warming trends in Burgundy have seen an approximate 1.3° C increase in growing season average temperatures and a http://www.guildsomm.com/TC/learn/expanded_guides/b/expanded_guides/archive/2014/09/09/burgundy 4/82 24/8/2015 Burgundy Expanded Guides Expanded Guides Guildsomm 1.1° C increase during the ripening period, with ~200 more growing degree- days. There has also been a general trend of longer frost-free periods and increases in the number of days above 35° C during the growing season and ripening period. Phenological changes in Burgundy show that from 1952 through 2010 budbreak has trended earlier (11 days over the time period), bloom is earlier (11 days), veraison is earlier (10 days), and harvest dates are 16 days earlier (all statistically signi⿾cant trends). There is also some evidence that there are shorter intervals between these events as well. The climate during the 1955-1980 period in Burgundy was on average like the coolest years during 1980-2005, while the period from 2005-2030 is projected to be on average like the warmest years during 1980-2005—which has largely held true so far.