Burgundian Wine Grapes: Main Regions & Famous Varietals

ns, Chablis lies halfway in-between the Cote d’Or region and Paris. The region is known solely for its dry, white wine.
Chablis has some of the world’s best Chardonnays, which are not oaked, and recognizable for their steely, dry palate and light flavors of lemon.

2. The Côte de Nuits

The recognized home to some of the best red Burgundian wine grapes, the region also produces overshadowed white wine. By and far, the majority of Grands and Premiers Crus wines originate in this region.
It is known, along with Cote de Beaune, as the “Golden Slopes” of Burgundy, for its revered villages including Gevery-Chambertin and the ability to produce some of the most valuable wine in the world.
Excellent examples of this wine are this Comte de Vogue Bonnes Mares, 2002 and this Domaine de la Romanee Conti La Tache, 2002.

3. The Côte de Beaune

Along with the Cote de Nuits, the Cote de Beaune makes up the other half of the “Golden Slopes” of Burgundy, though this part is known for the greatest white Burgundies (as the reds are overshadowed).
Other than Chablis, this region creates the best white Burgundies.
Cote de Beaune also has one red Grand Cru, from Corton, and has other less revered (but much cheaper) Pinot Noirs.

4. The Côte Chalonnaise

Compared to the other regions, the Cote Challonnaise is considered a lesser district, though it still produces excellent red and white wines, known for mid-range bottles that keep for about 5 years.

5. The Mâconnais

The southernmost region of Burgundy, the Maconnais produces cheaper wines of excellent value, made to be consumed young and not aged. It is best known for fresh Chardonnay whites, and Pouilly-Fuisse and St-Veran are two of the best vineyards.

Most Popular Burgundian Wine Grapes

All of the great Burgundies, whether red or white, are made from a single grape variety and are therefore un-blended. This sets the region vastly apart from Bordeaux, where most of the great wines are blends.
Famous Burgundian wine grapes include Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Gamay, Aligote, and to a lesser degree – Sauvignon, Cesar, Pinot Beurot, Sacy, and Melon. We explore them below.

Chardonnay

Chardonnay is the most common grape of Burgundy, with over 48% of the region’s land being under this type of wine. Chablis, Macon, and Cote d’Or white wines are produced from 100% Chardonnay.

Pinot Noir

Pinot Noir accounts for 34% of the land under vine in Burgundy. The majority of the Cote d’Or region is focused on this grape, and in the Cote de Nuits region, this grape and other red grapes make up more than 90% of the production.

Other Grapes

Other Burgundian wine grapes worth mentioning are Gamay (a red grape) that makes up 10% of total production in the famous wine region, and Aligote (a white grape) that makes up 6%.
The others (including Sauvignon, Cesar, Pinot Beurot, Sacy, and Melon) make up less than 2% of the production overall.
These grapes are considered “second status,” and are never used in the best wines – however they do contribute toward budget bottles and are increasingly common further south.

Acquiring Fine Burgundy Wine

Whatever your favourite Burgundian grape variety is, we’d like to invite you to bring home a Burgundy fine wine today.
Check out our online wine shop – where a comprehensive collection of France’s best Burgundies (and more) are only a few clicks away from arriving at your doorstep!
For any wine-related questions or queries, please feel free to write us a short message or give us a call at any time. Our wine experts will respond promptly, and will be happy to help!
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Wine Suppliers And Fine Wine Merchants London

Tuesday 20 October 2015