Burgundy is a wine growing region located in France south east of Paris and narrowly running north and south roughly 100 miles from Dijon in the north to Lyon in the south.  The length of the region has everything to do with what styles of wines thrive here.  Like most wine regions of Europe the earliest archaeological evidence of stablished viticulture dates back to 100 AD and the Roman Empire, although it is believed vineyards could have been around hundreds of years before. 



Since the appellation d'origine controlee or AOC officially recognized the Burgundy region in July 1935 many aspects of the wine has changed over the years because of the global depression of the 1930’s and 40’s and the destruction of World War II.  The regions wine making capability suffered but starting in 1950’s growers began to mend the struggling region but using fertilizers and heading advice from viticultural specialists.  The efforts of these growers during this period of revitalization have led to what the region is today with 25,000 vineyards.
The two grape varietals which account for most of the 29,500 hectares of vines planted are Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.  Chardonnay is responsible for the regions white wines, concentrated in the northern parts of the region.  Though Chardonnay today is somewhat ubiquitous Chardonnay is thought to reach its highest potential when grown in Burgundy.  The dry red wine associated to the Burgundy region lends its taste to Pinot Noir.  Pinot Noir is notoriously difficult to grow successfully because of specific soil and climate required to correctly grow the fruit.  Burgundy’s soil composition and climate make it second to none when growing this varietal.   Along with Chardonnay Pinot Noir is believed to have originated in Burgundy.


 Because it is such a large region it may be beneficial to highlight the sub-regions located within Burgundy.  The Maconnais is located that the southernmost border of Burgundy and produces general table wine that is cheaper and made for drinking young.  The Cote Chalonnise is generally underrated compared to other sub-regions but still produces great wines.  The Cote de Beaune produces both reds and whites but is known for producing the greatest whites in Burgundy. The Cote de Nuits is the sub region which others aspire.  This sub region is where the great red Burgundies are from commanding top dollar.

The soil structure of vary all across Burgundy but most vineyards have a soil base of limestone or marl.  Soils based in limestone are perfectly suited for the white wine grapes while marl is mostly planted with red wine grapes.  While the soils vary across the region climate is somewhat consistent throughout the region.   Warm summer and cool winters provide weather that allows grapes to ripen most years but does vary enough that some vintages should be avoided because of cool weather or too much rain.


Terroir is taken to a higher level across Burgundy and this can be seen in the way the region classifies and labels its wine.  Across Burgundy many of the larger vineyards are owned by multiple wine producers so the wine is labeled in a hierarchy with best vineyards making a small percentage at the top.  This distinction is Grand Cru which is only produced on the best sites defined by the AOC and only allows 35 hectoliters per hectare to be produced.  Grand Cru only accounts for about 2 percent of the production of Burgundy, typically need to be aged to properly mature, and only labels the name of the vineyard but not the village name.  The next level of distinction is Premier Cru.  Premier Cru labeled wines are produced from vineyards sites high in quality but not to the level of Grand Cru and is allowed 45 hectoliters of production per hectare.  Premier Cru accounts for 12 percent of production and the label typically includes the name of the village of production and not the name of the vineyard.  Making up the vast majority of wine produced in Burgundy are labeled with Village appellation or Regional appellation distinction.  Village wines will label the village name if produced within that village.  Regional accounts for the rest of production and are found anyway
throughout the region and include any number of varietals and also some rose and sparkling wines.
Burgundy is a region steeped in terrior and history.  The brand they have created over the years based on both excellent red and white wines will continue to be the reason wines from this region will command high prices and respect for the foreseeable future. 

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