quality control in the production of French wines. In order to receive this
designation on the label, the wine must meet all of the quality
requirements. AOC’s are only granted to wine regions that are blessed
with all of the ideal conditions that go into growing a particular grape and
style of wine. Only certain grapes are allowed in these Appellations and
that depends on where they are located. For example in Bordeaux
appellations, you would find Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes, but
absolutely no Pinot Noir or Chardonnay grapes. By contrast in Burgundy,
you would only find Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, for the most part. The
belief is that yes, one if they were so inclined could grow Cabernet in
Burgundy, but the conditions are so much better in Bordeaux for
Cabernet that there is no way that the Burgundy examples could
compete. The same goes for Chardonnay wines in Bordeaux versus
Burgundy. Now you are getting the basis for the AOC laws. We are
going to look at Burgundy wines exclusively here.
The Burgundy wine region is made up of six main parts. (see Burgundy
Wine Region Map to the left) Technically it starts at the city of Dijon (I
wonder what that city is famous for?) and follows the Saone River almost
all the way down to the city of Lyon. The exception to this is the Chablis
region. (No this is not a cheap white wine product from California)
Chablis is much further to the North and West of the whole of the
Burgundy region, but because they too are an appellation for Chardonnay
grapes, it is included in the Burgundy region.
1). Chablis – Since the weather in Chablis is much cooler the wines made
here tend to be more steely, acidic and minerally rather than fruity. They
are known to be excellent with seafood and shellfish like oysters, scallops,
etc…
The next two regions together are commonly referred to as the
“Cote D’or” (Coat door) and they make up some of the most expensive
and highly sought after wines in the world.
2). Cote de Nuits – (Coat du Nwee) This is the region immediately to the
south of Dijon and although some Chardonnay is grown here, it is
primarily known for Pinot Noir.
3). Cote de Beaune – (Coat du Bone) (see Map) Ah, this is the cream of
the crop as far as White Burgundy wines come from, but alas, they are
very, very expensive. I will list some of the more well know AOC
Appellations in the Cote de Beaune.
· Aloxe-Corton (ah luss cor ton) famous for Corton-Charlemagne.
· Beaune – Some medium bodied white wines.
· Meursault – (muhr so) – Full bodied, nutty flavored wines. Excellent
quality.
· Puligny-Montrachet (poo lee nyee mon rah shay) Some the best
white wines in the world, elegant and first class!
· Chassagne-Montrachet – (shah sahn nyah mon rah shay) Along with
Puligny, it is the other great White Burgundy region.
4). Cote Chalonnaise – (Coat Sha no lay) Less expensive but very good
quality none-the-less. Here are the Appellations to look for:
· Bouzeron (boo zuh rohn)
· Rully (roo lee) One of my favorites for the money.
· Mercurey (mair coo ray) Probably known more for Red wines
· Givrey (jee vree)
· Montagny (mohn tah n’yee) Also good value white wines.
5). Maconnais – (mah cawn nay) The most affordable White Burgundy’s
and some excellent values for the money. But nowhere near the quality of
the top regions.
· Macon & Macon-Villages – (mac cown vee lahj)
· Pouilly-Fuisse’ – (poo yee fwee say) Famous White Burgundy wines.
· St. Veran – (san veh rahn) less expensive than Pouilly Fuisse’ wines.
6). Beaujolais – This region uses the Gamay and Allicote grapes for their
light and fruity style wines and are for a whole other topic entirely.
When you see the White Burgundy wines in the wine store you will
encounter words like these on the label:
Puligny-Montrachet
Appellation Puligny-Montrachet Controle’e.
This is a Burgundy wine made from grapes grown in the Puligny-
Montrachet Appellation of Burgundy.
In more general terms here is how the following Burgundy Wine Label
words are interpreted:
Bourgogne Blanc – These wines are made from grapes that could have
come from anywhere in the Burgundy wine region and will be cheaper in
price, but have less quality.
Macon, Cote de Beaune, Cote Chalonnais, etc… – Refers to a district in
Burgundy where the grapes are grown. It is more specific than a
Bourgogne Blanc, but that also means that these grapes can come from
anywhere within that district.
Puligny Montrachet, Pouilly Fuisse’, Rully, etc… - Now this refers to
wines made from a specific village in Burgundy. These will be higher in
price depending on the Appellation's reputation.
Premier Cru (1er Cru) - These are particular vineyards and will be more
specific in that they will name the village and an area within the village
like Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes for example. These are
expensive and the quality is very good.
Grand Cru – The best White Burgundy wines (Usually) and the most
expensive. They may only have the name of the vineyard like
Montrachet for example. Dream that one day you get to try one of these
beauties from an exceptional vintage.
Also somewhere on the bottle will more than likely be the vintage year
and the name of the producer like Louis Latour or the Domaine name like
Rene’ Engel or J.M. Boillot, etc…
Knowing a little about the Appellations in which Burgundy is produced can
reduce some of the stress going into buying White Burgundy wines from
the retail stores and makes it fun to compare the different wines made
from each of these regions.
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Regions
Beaune Region
facts:
Chambolle-Musigny is the
Appellation
Les Charmes is the name of the
Vineyard
1er Cru indicates that this is a
Premier Cru Wine which is the
second highest quality level
after Grand Cru
Louis Jadot is the Negociant or
the wine's Producer
following:
Puligny-Montrachet is the
Apellation, which is located in
the Cote de Beaune Region
Etienne Sauzet is the wine
Producer
from this label?