This is an aspect of gastronomy that is not well known even among wine lovers. Here is some advice [...]
Enthusiasts of the wine deliver their impressions and their thoughts on the world of the wine, in a general way.
 |
Chablisien |  |
Côte de nuits |  |
Côte de Beaune |
| Auxerrois | Hautes-Côtes de Nuits | Hautes-Côtes de Beaune | |||
| Tonnerrois | Châtillonnais | ||||
| Vézélien | Auxois |  |
Côte chalonnaise | ||
| Jovinien | Couchois | ||||
 |
Mâconnais |
Red grapes
The Pinot Noir
The Pinot noir is the most tantalizing of the great wines of Burgundy.
he bunches are small and compact (pine-cone shaped). The grapes are grouped close together and are slightly oval. They have a relatively thick blue-black skin. The leaves are thick, long and bright. The juice of the Pinot noir is abundant, sweet and colorless.
The Pinot noir likes shallow soils and well exposed sites, at an altitude between 250 and 300 metres with marly and limestone soil, with a lot of stones and a good drainage.
To develop its finesse and aromatic richness, it needs specific growing conditions due to its relative fragility, a climate that is either too hot or too cold, for instance.
Thanks to its low yield, it produces complex and smooth great red wines that age well. It is identifiable by its elegant and fine aromas. When the wine is young, it has aromas of red fruit (blackcurrant, cherry, strawberry, raspberry, blueberry…) and those of liquorice, leather, tabacco, fungi and underwood when it ages.
The Gamay
Although it is the grape par excellence of the Beaujolais and the Mâconnais, it name comes from the village of the same name in the heart of the Côte de Beaune, next Puligny-Montrachet. In Burgundy, it is grown to produce the Mâcon and the Bourgogne Passe-Tout-Grains appellations.
The Gamay, a red vine with white juice, yields well. The compact grapes are grouped in cylindrical bunches. The blue-black berries are slightly ovoid and covered by a heavy bloom. Its bunches are very resistant to diseases.
It produces fine, pleasant, colored and fruity red wines with a heavy bouquet. It develops aromas of banana, British sweets and red fruit.
White grapes
The Chardonnay
It is the king vine of the Burgundian whites. Puligny-Montrachet, Corton, Corton-Charlemagne are some of the most famous varieties in the world.
The bunches are medium-sized and not as tightly clustered as the Pinot noir. The gold-yellow berries are small and irregular and mottled when they ripen. The Chardonnay has a white juice, abundant and deliciously sweet. Its leaves are characterised by two big white nervures lining the stalk.
This is a richly aromatic grape which produces great, strong, excellent wines with noble and subtle aromas: fresh butter, hazelnut, grilled almond and toast.
The Chardonnay can be grown in different types of soils. However, it prefers marly and limestone soils, occasionally with high proportions of calcar. It is a quite vigorous grape that yields well. It cannot survive in the cold, and above all spring frosts.
The Aligoté
It is a resistant grape, indigenous to Burgundy. It has more and bigger berries than the Chardonnay and thus, it yields better. The bunches are plump and they become gold when they ripen.
It produces two appellations: the "Bourgogne Aligoté" and the "Bouzeron". It can be used, in precise proportions, to produce the Crémant de Bourgogne. The AOC "Bourgogne Aligoté" is the only to associate the grape name to its geographical origin.
In Burgundy, it produces aromatic white wines, with a quite high acidity, to be drunk when young. It has a refreshing, fruity palate and can reveal mineral notes in certain Burgundian terroirs.
