All about Burgundy wines

Burgundy is one of the most famous regions in the world, located in the centre east of France between Auxerre and Mâcon.

It has more than 27,000 hectares of vineyards.

The region is very large, so it is subject to several climatic influences: continental in the north, oceanic in the east and Mediterranean in the south. It faces many microclimates within each sub-region, the terroir is mostly clay and limestone.

Burgundy is therefore a "mosaic" very fragmented into small parts that are called "Climats".

It is these climats that you will generally find on the label of your Burgundy wine just after its appellation.

The names :

Burgundy is rich in appellations. It is divided into 4 appellations:

• 53% of the appellations are regional, such as the AOC Bourgogne,
• 30% of the appellations are communal,
• 15% are premiers crus
• and 2% are grands crus.

The grape varieties :

Despite the strong diversification of appellations and climates, Burgundy uses mostly only 2 grape varieties, pinot noir for red wines and chardonnay for white wines.

The sub-regions :

Burgundy is made up of 5 sub-regions, the most northerly Chablis is located 150 km northwest of Dijon. Chablis is very famous for its white wines and their very particular typicity, they are lively wines with mineral aromas.

The Côte de Nuit, in the north of the Côte-d'Or, produces mainly red wines with a powerful mouthfeel.

The Côte Chalonnaise has a majority of pinot noir but also produces white wines.

Finally, there is the Mâconnais, the southernmost sub-region of the vineyard on the border of the Beaujolais. White wines are very well represented here with appellations such as Pouilly-Fuissé, Saint-Véran or Viré-Clessé.

Burgundy is a vineyard rich in wines and revealing a multitude of terroirs.

Don't hesitate, go to your nearest CAVAVIN to taste them.