As early as Roman times, wine has been made in the Bourgogne. But it was only after the Middle Ages that the quality of wine making improved greatly. An important factor in this was the work of the monks, who had access to cool spaces in their monasteries and ensured that all their experiences were recorded in writing. In this way, knowledge and experience were handed over to the next generations.

At that time, the vineyards were mostly owned by the nobles. It was only after the French Revolution in 1789 that these vineyards came into the possession of farmers and citizens. But by inheritance of the vineyards by later generations fragmented vineyards, which you can now see at almost all vineyards in Burgundy. A single vineyard with a certain classification sometimes has dozens of owners. A good example of this is the perhaps most beautiful and best vineyard in the world: Montrachet, a grand cru vineyard. It covers only a few hectares but has about 10 different owners, some can only make several hundred bottles a year.

This means that knowledge of Burgundy and its wines can be quite a challenge. Besides the different vineyards with their typical character, you also need to know the winemaker. A winemaker puts a decisive stamp on the final product, the wine in the bottle. The vineyard and the winemaker determine the quality and attractiveness of a Burgundy wine.

Four grape varieties are used in Burgundy. For white wines Chardonnay and Aligoté. For red wines Pinot Noir and Gamay. The Gamay is mainly used in the Beaujolais region for the specific Beaujolais wines.

Burgundy has three main regions; the Cote de Beaune, where white wines are mainly made and the Cote de Nuits where mainly red wines are made. Chablis, an area some distance from Cote de Beaune and Cote de Nuits, also belongs to Burgundy. The Cote de Beaune and the Cote de Nuits are also called Cote D'Or. Besides the Cote D'Or and Chablis, Burgundy also has Cotes Chalonnaise and Maconnais. The best wines, both red and white wines, come from the Cote D'Or.

The Burgundy is relatively small compared to bordeaux, the number of hectares amounts to about 20% of that of bordeaux.

But it was not until the Middle Ages that the level of winemaking started rapidly improving. This is largely because of the monks and the clergy, who had access to cool storage space in their monasteries, and kept records of the winemaking process. This is how knowledge and expertise could to be transferred and expanded.

In later times, the vineyards would end up the hands of the nobility. But after the French Revolution, many of these landowners were forced to sell of their vineyards, transferring the ownership to the farmers. Subsequent generations of inheritance led to fragmentation of the vineyards, which is why nowadays the Bourgogne is characterised by a great diversification of the plots and vineyards. Gaining knowledge of Bourgogne wines is quite a challenge, because apart from knowing all about the vineyards themselves, you also need to find out who the winemaker is for that particular plot. One vineyard can have dozens of different owners, and by extension, winemakers.

In the Bourgogne, four grape varietals are prevalent: the Chardonnay and the Aligoté for white wines, and the Pinot Noir and the Gamay for reds. The latter is especially well represented in the Beaujolais. The Côte de Beaune subregion mainly produces white wines, whereas Côte de Nuits mainly yields red grapes.

The appelations in Burgundy

The Law on The Appelation Controlees in Burgundy has been in place since 1937. The number of appelations is enormous. In the Cote D'Or alone, more than 100 designations of origin are distinguished. This includes 33 grand crus and 1271 lieux-dits or climats. Approximately 560 vineyards have the status of premier cru. The 100 appelations in the Cote D'Or can be found in 35 municipalities.

The difference in quality is huge. One cannot therefore simply compare one grand cru with another. The same goes for the Prime Minister crus.

The Grand Crus are considered the best wines of Burgundy. These grand crus are:

For the best white wines
Bâtard-Montrachet.
Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet
Chevalier-Montrachet
Corton-Charlemagne
Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet
Montrachet
Chablis Grand Crus (Blanchots, les Clos, Valmur, Grenouilles, Vaudesirs, Preuses, Bougros)

For the best red wines
Bonnes-Mares
Chambertin-Cos de Bèze
Chapelle-Chambertin
Chambertin
Charlemagne
Charmes-Chambertin
Clos de la Roche
Clos de Tart
Clos de Vougeot
Clos des Lambrays
Clos Saint Denis
Corton
Échezeaux
Grands Échezeaux
Griotte-Chambertin
La Grande Rue
La Romanée
La Tâche
Latricières-Chambertin
Mazis-Chambertin
Mazoyères-Chambertin
Musigny
Richebourg
Romanée-Conti
Romanée-Saint-Vivant
Ruchottes-Chambertin

Unfortunately, a vineyard does not say everything about the quality of the wine. The winemaker is ultimately decisive in this.

Some vineyards are a monopole. This means that the vineyard has only one owner. Examples include Domaine de la Romanee Conti La Tache, Lamarche Grande Rue and Domaine de la Romanee Conti Romanee Conti.

Four grape varieties are used within the appelations of Burgundy, two of which clearly produce the best wines: Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Chardonnay

Almost all white wines in Burgundy are made from Chardonnay. The chardonnay grape is also called a noble grape. Many of the finest white wines are made from chardonnay, Burgundy as the most prestigious region. The finest and most expensive Chardonnay come from Burgundy.

Taste
In Burgundy the chardonnay grape shows tropical fruit aroma (mango, passion fruit, pineapple). Also butter and honey elements are present . The wines ccan be very concentrated with lots of terroir.

Other
The top white wines from Burgundy will show their potential after a number of years (5-15) and are very suitable wines for cellaring. The premier cru and grand cru wines spend several years in wooden casks (Oak) before being bottles.

Pinot Noir

Burgundy is the perfect climate for pinot noir because of its cool temperatures and the composition of the soil: the teroir. Some of the best red wines in the world come from Burgundy. You often see wine lovers with strong preferences: Burgundy style or Bordeaux style. That is: pinot noir, with its softness, subtlety and fruitiness in contrast to the power of the cabernet sauvignon grape, Bordeaux.

Taste
Light red fruit (raspberry, strawberry), floral elements (violet, rose).

Other
The best pinot noir wines come from Burgundy. The premier cru and grand cru wines better wines are brought up on wood. 

There are actually too many to mention, but in general the following domains are leading: Domaine Leflaive, Domaine Leroy, Ramonet, Roumier, Liger Belair, D'Auvenay, Raveneau, Dauvissat, Coche Dury, Domaine de la Romanee Conti, Mugnier, Dujac, Meo Camuzet, Ponsot.

Top Wines from Burgundy

Robert Parker 97
Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier
Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier - Musigny 2012

Musigny

2012
€ 3.025,00 (ex Vat) € 3.660,25 (in Vat) more info
Robert Parker 98
Domaine de la Romanee Conti
Domaine de la Romanee Conti - La Tache 2016

La Tache

2016
€ 5.695,00 (ex Vat) € 6.890,95 (in Vat) more info
Robert Parker 99
Domaine de la Romanee Conti
Domaine de la Romanee Conti - La Tache 2019

La Tache

2019
€ 7.000,00 (ex Vat) € 8.470,00 (in Vat) more info
Robert Parker 96 Sale
Emmanuel Rouget
Emmanuel Rouget - Vosne Romanee Cros Parantoux 2009

Vosne Romanee Cros Parantoux

2009
€ 3.995,00 € 2.970,00 (ex Vat) € 3.593,70 (in Vat) more info
Robert Parker 94
Jadot
Jadot - Chambertin 2016

Chambertin

2016
€ 280,00 (ex Vat) € 338,80 (in Vat) more info
Wine Enthusiast 98
Jadot
Jadot - Chambertin Clos de Beze 2016

Chambertin Clos de Beze

2016
€ 305,00 (ex Vat) € 369,05 (in Vat) more info
Robert Parker 98
Mugneret-Gibourg
Mugneret-Gibourg - Ruchottes Chambertin 2015

Ruchottes Chambertin

2015
€ 1.125,00 (ex Vat) € 1.361,25 (in Vat) more info
Robert Parker 95
Domaine de la Romanee Conti
Domaine de la Romanee Conti - Romanee St. Vivant 2015

Romanee St. Vivant

2015
€ 3.895,00 (ex Vat) € 4.712,95 (in Vat) more info
Jasper Morris 97
Faiveley
Faiveley - Chambertin Clos de Beze les Ouvrees Rodin 2017

Chambertin Clos de Beze les Ouvrees Rodin

2017
€ 619,00 (ex Vat) € 748,99 (in Vat) more info
Burghound 96
Faiveley
Faiveley - Chambertin Clos de Beze les Ouvrees Rodin 2018

Chambertin Clos de Beze les Ouvrees Rodin

2018
€ 719,00 (ex Vat) € 869,99 (in Vat) more info
BOW 9+ Sale
Faiveley
Faiveley - Chambertin Clos de Beze les Ouvrees Rodin 2019

Chambertin Clos de Beze les Ouvrees Rodin

2019
€ 849,00 € 719,00 (ex Vat) € 869,99 (in Vat) more info
Robert Parker 98
Georges Roumier
Georges Roumier - Bonnes Mares 2015

Bonnes Mares

2015
€ 2.170,00 (ex Vat) € 2.625,70 (in Vat) more info
Robert Parker 97
Georges Roumier
Georges Roumier - Bonnes Mares 2016

Bonnes Mares

2016
€ 1.745,00 (ex Vat) € 2.111,45 (in Vat) more info
Jasper Morris 97
Jadot
Jadot - Musigny 2016

Musigny

2016
€ 719,00 (ex Vat) € 869,99 (in Vat) more info
Jasper Morris 99
Laurent Ponsot
Laurent Ponsot - Griotte Chambertin Cuvee du Saule 2019

Griotte Chambertin Cuvee du Saule

2019
€ 451,00 (ex Vat) € 545,71 (in Vat) more info
Robert Parker 95
Armand Rousseau
Armand Rousseau - Chambertin 2013

Chambertin

2013
€ 2.950,00 (ex Vat) € 3.569,50 (in Vat) more info
Robert Parker 94
Armand Rousseau
Armand Rousseau - Chambertin Clos de Beze 2017

Chambertin Clos de Beze

2017
€ 2.450,00 (ex Vat) € 2.964,50 (in Vat) more info
Robert Parker 97
Cathiard
Cathiard - Romanee St Vivant 2017

Romanee St Vivant

2017
€ 2.870,00 (ex Vat) € 3.472,70 (in Vat) more info
Winespectator 99
Comte de Vogue
Comte de Vogue - Bonnes Mares 1990

Bonnes Mares

1990
(slightly bin soiled label)
€ 669,00 (ex Vat) € 809,49 (in Vat) more info
Vinous 98
Comte de Vogue
Comte de Vogue - Bonnes Mares 2019

Bonnes Mares

2019
€ 569,00 (ex Vat) € 688,49 (in Vat) more info
Vinous 98
Comte de Vogue
Comte de Vogue - Bonnes Mares 2020

Bonnes Mares

2020
€ 619,00 (ex Vat) € 748,99 (in Vat) more info
Vinous 98
Comte de Vogue
Comte de Vogue - Bonnes Mares 2020

Bonnes Mares

2020
(Magnum)
€ 1.379,00 (ex Vat) € 1.668,59 (in Vat) more info
Robert Parker 95
Comte de Vogue
Comte de Vogue - Musigny 2017

Musigny

2017
€ 749,00 (ex Vat) € 906,29 (in Vat) more info
BOW 9
Comte de Vogue
Comte de Vogue - Musigny 2018

Musigny

2018
€ 789,00 (ex Vat) € 954,69 (in Vat) more info
Burgundy
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