BURGUNDY

Good red Burgundy may be the only wine that can send shivers up your spine. Wines such as red Bordeaux or California Cabernet Sauvignon can be great—but really good red Burgundy can be ravishing.

But, because really good red Burgundy is genuinely elusive, spine-shivering happens only once in a while. Merely that it can happen, though, sends wine drinkers in search of it—relentlessly.

When they approach Burgundy, however, they discover that to understand it can be mind-numbingly difficult.

Burgundy is like a slot machine—several hundred winemakers, thousands of vineyard owners, only two major grapes but with several clones apiece, ever-sure vagaries of weather, and hundreds upon hundreds of terroirs in five major sub-areas. It’s a rare yank of the crank when everything lines up.

Accordingly, a little knowledge, in this case, is a helpful thing.

Burgundy in general
Burgundy begins about 70 miles southeast of Paris and extends south to the gastronomic capital of Lyon. It is a little over 200 miles long, although it is also very narrow, and produces a mere 0.5% of the world’s wines.

From north going south, five major districts comprise Burgundy, each of which makes very different wines. They are (1) Chablis, which gives its name to the steely, dry white wine made there; the (2) Côte d'Or (the “Golden Slope,” pronounced “coat door”) made up of the Côte de Nuits, known for its red wines (for instance, Gevrey-Chambertin) and the Côte de Beaune, known for its reds (Pommard, say, or Volnay), as well as its whites (such as Meursault or Puligny-Montrachet).

The (3) Côte Chalonnaise is the third major district and produces both red wines (Givry, Mercurey and Rully) and whites (Montagny and Rully). Then comes (4) the Mâconnais, known especially for its whites (Mâcon-Villages, Saint-Véran, and the famous Pouilly-Fuissé)

And finally, there is (5) Beaujolais, Burgundy’s second largest river after the Saône, and a prolific source of fresh, fruity red wine.

Terroir
These five districts (especially the first two) are a mosaic of wildly different terroirs or, to translate the French, what a specific vineyard—given its soil, water drainage, weather, sunlight, slope and aspect—imparts to the grapes grown on it. For example, the very chalky soil of the vineyards of Chablis stamp onto the Chardonnay grown there a pronounced taste of minerals.

In especially Burgundy, these characteristics can change markedly from, say, the top of a hill to its bottom—and in between, even among plots that are mere meters apart.

In Burgundy, every parcel of land that differs—even in the slightest—from its neighbors has a name. Hence both the hurdle to understanding and the secret to enjoying Burgundy.

For in Burgundy, each vineyard—and even a given area within an individual vineyard—speaks with an individual voice through the grapes grown there, and into the wine made from them. Each parcel gives its wines what wine writer Matt Kramer calls “somewhereness.” In Burgundy, as he says, “the earth itself speaks.”

(That’s why Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are so well suited for Burgundy. They are particularly good at translating the nuances of terroir.)

The Burgundian patchwork also explains the various levels of quality in Burgundian wines. Think of Burgundy as a sort of bull’s-eye. From outside in, these quality levels are: (1) regional wine (for example, Bourgogne Rouge), (2) village wine (for example, Gevrey-Chambertin), (3) Premier Cru vineyard (Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques), and (4) Grand Cru vineyard (Le Chambertin).

The closer a wine gets to the center of the bull’s eye, the greater prestige the classification, and the quality—and the price. (At least, that’s the idea. A lot also depends on the prior year’s work in the vineyard and the skill of the winemaker.)

But remember that the differences among a Gevrey-Chambertin, a Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint-Jacques, and a Le Chambertin —even from the same domaine—aren’t due to when the grapes are picked, or the skill of the winemaker, or the type of wood used to age the wine.

The differences are because of the location of the vineyard.

White Burgundy
To simplify matters, just remember that the best white Burgundies come from three areas: Chablis, The Côte de Beaune and the Mâconnais.

All good white wines made in these areas are 100% Chardonnay. In Chablis and the Mâconnais, 95% of the wines are fermented in stainless steel, making for crisp, zippy whites with citrus-y and apple-y flavors. (In fact, 4/5 of the wines from the Mâconnais are white.)

In the Côte de Beaune, most Chardonnays are fermented and aged in oak barrels for greater body, richness, nuance, depth of flavor and ageability.

Red Burgundy
The word “Burgundy” has meant “red wine” to generations of wine drinkers.

In fact, more than ½ of all Burgundy wine, red or white, is a single type of red—Beaujolais. It is light, fruity, best when consumed young, and one of few red wines that can be chilled.

But “red Burgundy” most often means the wines made north of Beaujolais from the great grape of the area, the Pinot Noir. Along the Côte Chalonnaise, it makes humble, straightforward, even meaty reds. And it shines in the ethereal, earth-scented, spine-shivering reds of the Côte d’Or.

What to Eat
Great Pinot Noir calls for simple meats, but of the best quality: roast lamb or beef, duck, excellent chicken. First-rate, substantial fish, simply prepared—grilled salmon, swordfish or tuna—also marries well with a good Pinot Noir.

Beaujolais is one of the most delectable wines at table, especially with simple, straightforward foods. The fleshier Beaujolais can support grilled meats and strong cheese.

In Burgundy, Chablis is often used as an apéritif, and it is superlative with oysters and simple fish. Premier Cru Chablis is perfect with lobster; Grand Cru, with trout.

Mâcon whites do well with everyday seafood or fowl. Young shellfish is delicious with a St-Véran.