Burgundy

General information:

Viticultural Burgundy covers five regions:

Chablis
Côte de Nuits
Côte de Beaune
Côte Chalonnaise
Maconnais

Total production from 26,500 hectares of vines, which equates to 200 million bottles of wine.

Production is two thirds white wine to one third red wine.

Some answers to your questions about burgundy:

a) th...

General information:

Viticultural Burgundy covers five regions:

Chablis
Côte de Nuits
Côte de Beaune
Côte Chalonnaise
Maconnais

Total production from 26,500 hectares of vines, which equates to 200 million bottles of wine.

Production is two thirds white wine to one third red wine.

Some answers to your questions about burgundy:

a) the attributes of a great red burgundy ?

- the soil and exposition of the vineyard;

- low yields;

- a hospitable growing season;

- winemaking;

b) Why are the best burgundies prohibitively expensive ?

The pricing of burgundy can be explained entirely by the rules of supply and demand. Truly microscopic quantities of wine offereed by the best producers and a worldwide demand.

c) What are the significant differences in the wines of the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits ?

The red wines of the Côte de Nuits tend to be fuller, slightly more tannic and are characterized by a more earthy, black fruit and exotic character than those from the Côte de Beaune. Indeed, the wines from Côte de Beaune tend to offer slighlty less body, less tannin and seem to filled with aromas and flavors of red fruits.

While the Côte de Nuits produces only a handful of white wines, of which a few are superlative, the Côte de Beaune produces the world's greatest wines from the Chardonnay grape.

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Subcategories

Chablis
The Chablis wine district produces white wines only, 100 percent Chardonnay.

Chablis is one district for which you must pay particularly close attention to vintages. In a good vintage, however, Chablis can be magical: pale straw in color with hints of green, turning light gold with age; bone dry and medium-bodied, with lively acidity that makes the wine great with seafood; concentrated in delicate, minerally aromas and an appley flavor that lingers long after you swallow.

Chablis has a distinctly different appellation system from the rest of Burgundy.
- Petit Chablis
- Chablis
- Chablis Premier Cru
- Chablis Grand Cru
The are only 7 Grands Crus, and they sit on what is the filet mignon of the Chablis region.

Les Clos (61.1 acres) - This vineyard, the most famous Grand Cru of Chablis, is superbly situated between Blanchot and Valmur. Les Clos frequently has excellent acidity, superb depth, power, and richness, but it is stony, mineral-like precision to its flavors that sets it apart from on the the Côte d'Or top white burgundies. The great examples of Les Clos, often seem immortal and are capable of lasting 15-20 years.

Blanchot (30.1 acres) - Situated southeast of the other Grands Crus, Blanchot produces wines that are among the most delicate, perfumed, are stylish of all the Grands Crus.
Côte de nuits
The Cote de Nuits is the northern half of the Cote d'Or wine region in Burgundy . It specializes in red wines made predominantly from Pinot Noir, the most famous and expensive.

Sub-regions of Cote de Nuits :
- Gevrey-Chambertin;
- Vougeot,
- Morey-Saint-Denis,
- Chambolle-Musigny,
- Vosne-Romanée,
- Fixin,
- Nuits-Saint-Georges.
Côte de beaune

With its vinous pillars of Chassagne-Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet and Meursault, the Côte de Beaune’s Chardonnays are considered the finest in the world.

The Côte de Beaune is also responsible for a handful of Burgundy's top red wines, particularly those from the premier cru vineyards of Pommard, Volnay and the grand cru Corton.

Its finest Chardonnays are known for their incomparable intensity and complexity, while its Pinot Noirs convey softness and finesse.
Côte Chalonnaise

The villages and appellations of the Côte Chalonnaise:

- Bouzeron;

- Rully;

- Mercurey;

- Givry;

- Montagny.
Vignoble du Mâconnais

The Maconnais wine region in the south of Burgundy is centered around – and named after – the provincial town of Macon.