The Wines of Burgundy
Undoubtedly the main reason for Burgundy's modern fame. The most northerly wines of Burgundy are from Chablis, where ingenious locals developed a process of spraying the vines with water in the winter months, enveloping the vines in a coat of ice to insulate the vines from frost.
Travelling south past Dijon, the Côtes d'Or, or Golden Hills, rise to the west of the river Saone. These provide the east-facing slopes of the Côte de Nuits which hold the most famous of Burgundy's wines, including the legendary names of Vosne-Romanée, Clos Vougeot and Gevrey Chambertin.
The southern end of the and Côte d'Or contains the Côte de Beaune, which provide famous red wines of Aloxe Corton and Volnay as well as perhaps the finest white wines in the world in Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet.
South of Beaune are the lesser known wines of the Côte Chalonnais, and the Maconnais, including the two villages of Pouilly and their famous Pouilly-Fuissé wine.
Finally, the southernmost wines of Burgundy come from Beaujolais, notably the ten Crus from villages such as Julienas, Fleurie, Morgon and Brouilly.
The grapes. Understanding the Cépage of wines in Burgundy is easier than in Bordeaux or Chateauneuf du Pape. If it's red it's Pinot Noir. Unless it's from Beaujolais, in which case it's Gamay. If it's white, it's Chardonnay. Simple. There are tiny amounts of Aligoté, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc grown in some obscure vineyards, and a local curiosity. 'Bourgogne Passetoutgrains' is a blend of Gamay and Pinot Noir, and all vineyards in Burgundy are allowed to produce this wine.
As elsewhere, the local vines were killed off by the phylloxera epidemic in the late 19th century, and the modern vines are traditional Burgundy vines grafted onto american vine roots. The loss of their vines prompted many vignerons to seek alternative crops, and to this day you can see thousands of carefully pruned blackcurrant bushes. This is the home of Cassis, the blackcurrant liqueur used to make Kir.
Who owns what? Burgundy vineyards are typically enclosed within walls, or 'Clos', to help protect against the worst of the weather, but the vines within each clos typically have several different owners. This was a by-product of the Napoleonic code that divided estates equally between surviving children, and over time local landowners came to own many tiny plots of vines over a wide range of vineyards. This has led to a very different role for the négociant in Burgundy. These are the people who buy in the grapes and prodcue the wines. A tasting in Burgundy typically means a visit to a well-known négociant, who will offer a range of wines from vineyards throughout the region. Very different to the Châteaux of Bordeaux, in an area where the Napoleonic code didn't apply, and where many vineyards are owned by companies not individuals.
Fame. Burgundy wines have inspired throughout history, and while the Abbeys were largely destroyed by the revolution, the vineyards survived. It was Burgundy wine prescribed for the ailing Louis IV, yet following the revolution a report to the Commissioners described the wines of Romanée-Conti as the best in France. It was Clos de Bèvé from Chambertin that Napoleon drank following the fall of Moscow. Alexander Dumas said of Le Montrachet, from Puligny, that it should be drunk 'on your knees and with bared head'. Cardinal Bernis always chose Meursault to celebrate Mass as 'he did not wish to grimace when confronting his Lord'.
Enough already. Many French would have you believe this is the finest wine producing area in the world.