There are more than 75 appellations throughout the wider Burgundy wine region, encompassing many different villages, sub-regions and individual vineyards. How do you master such a complex wine region?

Knowledge will give you a decisive advantage. It is vital to remember that Burgundy is not one big vineyard, but the name of a province that contains several distinct sub-regions. Red Burgundy wines are usually made from the Pinot Noir grape, and almost all white Burgundy is 100% Chardonnay. However, Pinot Noir does not hold a viticultural monopoly—Gamay is the signature grape of Beaujolais. Moreover, almost every wine made in Burgundy is dry. There is also a longstanding tradition of making sparkling wine in the region, known as Cremant de Bourgogne.

The best approach to choosing a Burgundy wine is to adopt one of several ploys; buy according to sub-region, individual vineyard or vintage, or balance out your preferences according to all three criteria. Follow these pointers, and you can’t go far wrong.

Click on a link to jump to that section:

Key sub-regions/appellations

If you desire a particular wine style, then understanding the nuances of each Burgundy sub-region can go a long way. Due to the significant variances in climate and terroir (vineyard factors like soil and aspect which influence the final wine style), every geographically-delimited appellation has a signature trademark. Crucially, wine labels from the Burgundy region will reference the specific sub-region or appellation where it was made. This can really help to simplify your buying choices.

Chablis

Chablis produces an astonishing amount of good value, dry white wines. Exclusively dedicated to growing Chardonnay, Chablis wine is characterised by vibrant acidity, with aromas of minerals, oyster shells, and citrus. The relatively cool climate (due to the northerly latitude) and the local winemaking philosophy ensures that Chablis is the antithesis of the oaky, fruit-bomb caricature. Chablis wines are rarely aged in new oak, as winemakers prefer to emphasize the natural exuberance and minerality of the Chardonnay grape. If you like your Chardonnay wines to be saline and bursting with refreshing acidity, we guarantee that you’ll love Chablis.

Côte d’Or

The Côte d’Or or ‘golden slope’ is responsible for the most iconic Pinot Noir and Chardonnay wines in the world. It is split into two distinct areas: the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune. Located southwest of Dijon, the Côte de Nuits is renowned for producing complex, elegant and structured red wines, while the Côte de Beaune is celebrated for its lighter reds and elegant whites. This is a fertile hunting ground if you desire complex, age-worthy and structured wines. However, the top labels are understandably very expensive, due to their great prestige.

The best white wines come from the appellations of Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet. Unlike Chablis, they are often judiciously aged in new oak, creating a more rich and opulent style of wine. The most famous Pinot Noir wines come from the villages of Gevrey-Chambertin, Chambolle-Musigny, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Vosne-Romanée, Aloxe-Corton, Beaune and Pommard. They are responsible for the most profound and long-lived Pinot Noir wines made today. Demand far outstrips the modest supply.

Côte Chalonnaise

Like the Côte d’Or, the Côte Chalonnaise is dedicated to the production of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines. Yet there are key differences. There is one appellation in the zone, called Bouzeron, which produces white wines from the Aligoté grape. It produces racy and aromatic wine, very different in style to Chardonnay. The key wine appellations in the Chalonnaise vineyard are the aforementioned Bouzeron, Rully, Mercurey, Givry and Montagny.

Due to land prices being significantly lower, the Côte Chalonnaise produces a wealth of affordable yet high-quality wines. Compared to the Côte d’Or, the red wines are generally lighter, with less tannin and extract. The whites are typically fresh and medium-bodied. In addition, certain growers make lovely rosé out of the Pinot Noir grape and delicious sparkling wine. Burgundy was the first region in France to be awarded the right to the sparkling cremant designation, established in 1975. The main hubs of sparkling wine production are the Côte Chalonnaise and the Mâconnais.

The Mâconnais

Growers in the Mâconnais generally limit their focus to the Chardonnay grape. The sub-region is situated 60 miles northwest of the city of Lyon and is extremely beautiful. The growing conditions are distinct from Chablis further north, due to the more southerly latitude. As a result, the white wines can often taste quite different.

In general, Chardonnay wines made in the Mâconnais zone are typically riper and more fruit forward than Chablis. When aged judiciously in French oak, they offer an attractive mix of exoticism and opulence, complemented by the balancing forces of acidity and freshness. The key winegrowing appellations are Macon, Macon-Villages, Saint-Véran and Pouilly-Fuissé.

Beaujolais

Understanding Beaujolais is easy. Every red wine from the appellation is made from the Gamay grape. The wines are typically fresh, fruit-driven and elegant, perfect for summer drinking. They are seldom expensive and widely available.

For our selection of wine from the Beaujolais region

View here

However, there are four tiers of Beaujolais to get to grips with. Beaujolais Nouveau is reserved for very young wines released in the same year of the harvest, while ‘Beaujolais’ is a designation for longer-aged red wines. Beaujolais-Villages is a superior designation for wines made in a specific geographical area of the Beaujolais sub-region, located in the north. The final quality tier involves naming the wine after the individual village of production, rather than calling it Beaujolais. The most famous of these wine villages are Fleurie, Morgon, Moulin-à-Vent, Chenas and Brouilly. The wines are more powerful and structured than ‘ordinary’ Beaujolais and will age for longer.

Bourgogne Rouge/Blanc

The majority of Burgundy appellations have strictly demarcated geographical boundaries—Bourgogne does not. It is a generic appellation that can be used for wines produced in any village in the region. It enables top growers to make good value wines from the outer fringes of the appellations in the Côte d’Or. To give an example, certain Pinot Noir vineyards in Gevrey-Chambertin cannot be labelled under the commune name, as the land is considered inferior. Yet growers can market such wines under the auspices of the Bourgogne Rouge framework.

In addition, winemakers will occasionally declassify red and white wines entitled to a higher ranking, such as village, perhaps because they’re unhappy with the quality. These wines are often marketed as Bourgogne Rouge/Blanc. The rules governing the production of generic Bourgogne wines are generally less restrictive, with more liberal regulations concerning yield and vine planting densities.

Navigating Burgundy’s vineyard hierarchy

Burgundy is a place of structure and hierarchy, with all vineyards ranked and graded according to the perceived quality of the wines they produce. There are four categories of vineyards: Grand Cru, Premier Cru, Village and Bourgogne Blanc/Rouge. As far as Burgundy wine is concerned, every vineyard is unique.

This is how many collectors buy into Burgundy. Wines made from Grand/Premier Cru land will display the name of a particular vineyard on the label. The most famous include La Tache, Romanee-Conti, Corton and Le Montrachet. For many buyers, the vineyard name is more important than the producer. They’re interested in the geographical possibility of the land, not the person who cultivates it.

There is, nonetheless, an important caveat to the above. It’s important to remember that even a highly decorated vineyard like Le Montrachet will have multiple owners growing grapes and producing wine, which inevitably leads to variations in quality. Not every winemaker is as conscientious as the first division estates, so it pays to gravitate towards certain brands.

Top wine producers in Burgundy

  • Antonin Guyon
  • Billaud-Simon
  • Domaine Borgeot
  • Joseph Drouhin
  • Louis Moreau
  • Domaine Rossignol Trapet
  • Domaine Anne Gros
  • Louis Jadot
  • Jean Grivot
  • William Fevre
  • Domaine Faiveley

Vintages

Becoming acquainted with the subject of vintages (year of the grape harvest) can really help with your buying decisions. Collectors continue to place great stock in vintage assessments, using harvest reports as a purchasing guide. Any Burgundy wine lover will understandably want to experience the finest wines from the best years.

Yet making assessments about the ‘worth’ of a particular vintage is not an exact science. Even in difficult conditions, winemakers can make good wine. Equally, not everyone covets the ripeness and greater concentration inherent to warmer years. Indeed, you may prefer your Pinot Noir wines on the lighter side: the 2013 vintage would be ideal. Alternatively, perhaps you enjoy ripe and buttery Chardonnay from the Mâconnais. In that case, the 2015 vintage will deliver abundant pleasure. In that year, growers harvested a very ripe crop of healthy grapes. The wines were some of the most voluptuous and exotic wines ever made in Burgundy. As ever, personal preference has the final say.

Best warmer vintages: 2005, 2009, 2015, 2018

See all buyers guides...