Le Cordon Bleu - French Wines #3

Varietal-ly speaking, Bourgogne is the simplest region. In terms of everything else. It is the most complex.

Totaling only six percent of French wine production – one percent globally – Burgundy is one of the most well known wine regions. This isn’t by fault. They make some fantastic wines.

Situated in the central, eastern part of France. Burgundy draws its ideal grape growing terroir from cliff sides. Easterly facing plains. And the hills of Beaune, Nuits, Chalonnaise, and Or. Hence the names, Côtes de Beaune, Côtes de Nuits, ect. Côtes literally means coast or shore. Here it refers to edge, or ridge.


Layers of minerals, namely limestone, sit below the earth’s crust. Giving a unique depth. Clay and granite are also commonly found.

Surprisingly. Burgundy has a higher production of white wines than red. Respectively, 58% and 42%. Whites are usually chardonnay. Reds are always pinot-noir. Occasionally wine makers are allowed to add sauvignon-blanc or aligoté to the lighter bottles. And gamay to the rouges. Although this almost never happens.

The structure of Bourgogne is the most complex system around. It is important to understand this because it has a direct effect on labeling.

First there is the region of Burgundy – the mass encompassing zone. General Burgundy wines are labeled with the regional name and the varietal. Bourgogne Chardonnay. These are perfectly fine to drink, but usually light and ordinary.

Within the regional area there are communes. Large sections still. But more focused. There are five major communales.

• Chablis
• Mâcon
• Côtes de Chalonnaise
• Côtes de Beaune
• Côtes de Nuits

Wines that bare a communal label are always blends from various vineyards. Labeling at this level includes the region, Bourgogne, and commune name, i.e. Côtes de Beaune. Bourgogne Côtes de Beaune. These usually don’t travel too far. Consumed by locals.

Breaking the region down even more. There are villages within the communes. These too are usually consumed within the zone of production. Marked with only the village name. Pouilly-Fuissé.

Within each village there can be two distinctions. Premier Cru and Grand Cru. These are the wines that make it in overseas shops. Within each village. There is a hill. The lowest and highest sections are Premier Crus. With the Grand Crus in the center – location with the best terroir. These are distinctions. Not every town bares these awards. (See if my drawing makes any sense.)

As probably assumed. Wines are tagged with Premier Cru or Grand Cru some where on the bottle. Otherwise. Following previously discussed labeling.

In a nutshell memorize the five major communes. This way you’ll know it’s a Burgundy. And remember that whites are always chardonnay. Reds are pinot-noir.

Lesson #3 Tastes

• Côte de Léchet Premier Cru (chardonnay) by Olivier Leflaive, 2006
• Pouilly-Fuissé (chardonnay) by Joseph Burrier, 2008
• Mercurey Premier Cru (pinot-noir) by Domaine Levert, 2004
• Volnay (pinot-noir) by Olivier Leflaive, 2006
• Nuits-Saint-Georges (pinot-noir) by Pierre André, 2007