Burgundy prides itself on the high quality and finesse of its wines. But the pleasure to be found in a great Burgundy comes at a certain price To the scarcity of Burgundy wines (some growers making only a few dozen cases per year) must be added the complexity of a fragmented region where each lot expresses particular nuances.
In addition to having become the capital of Burgundy wine, Beaune is also a city steeped in history. Strolling through its medieval streets to the famous Hospices is a journey through time. The Hospices de Beaune were built in 1441 and their fame comes from a wine auction that has been held every third Sunday in November since 1859. Each year buyers and wine lovers meet together at the largest wine auction in the world. More than 5 centuries after their creation, the original role of the Hospices is maintained as the profits of the sale are offered to an association.
Beaune is the historical center of burgundy wines. Nowadays, most of the well-known wineries are situated in Beaune, like Louis-Jadot, Camille Giroud, Bouchard Père et Fils, etc…
The rise of Burgundy wines took place in the tenth century under the leadership of the monks, who were then the principal owners of vineyards in the region. Not seeking profit, they were dedicated to the study of vines and winemaking methods in order to achieve perfection. In particular we owe the creation of the "clos", plots of land that are surrounded by stone walls, and the establishment of a qualitative ranking of vineyards with the Grands Crus at the top. At the end of the fourteenth century, the Dukes of Burgundy made Burgundy an independent state. The power of this State carried over onto the wines of Beaune which become the world's most renowned. The absence of an inland waterway, which would have facilitated transport, led the vineyards to make higher quality wines in such a way that their price was higher than transport costs.
After the French Revolution in 1789, the vineyards, which had formerly belonged to the clergy, were sold at auction and broken up. This historical splitting up of the plots still exists today and is one of the main characteristics of the region. The extreme fragmentation of plots and the very high quality of the wines produced are the two characteristics that could now define the French Burgundy region!
The Land and the Wine: The Pinot Noir and Chardonnay varietals grown here develop finesse like nowhere else
Burgundy enjoys a continental climate (hot summers, cold winters) that allows the region to bring out the unparalleled finesse and intricacies of the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay varietals. The first is used in the Burgundy region to produce red wines with fine, silky tannins which are lightly colored but very aromatic. The Chardonnay varietal is a native of the Burgundy region, and is used to produce white wines.
Burgundy produces some of the finest wines in the world, but proves so complex that it is difficult to draw an overview of the wines grown there. The geology of the soil in the Burgundian vineyards is so specific that wines grown even a few meters apart can produce radically different wines.
In the heart of Burgundy, a 100 km long stretch produces the most famous Bourgogne wines and gather most of the burgundy Grands Crus. This is the "Côte d’Or", in which we can distinguish the North, the "Côte de Nuit" of the South, "Côte de Beaune". The Côte de Nuit produces mainly red wines that are robust and very stylish, the most famous being the burgundy grand cru Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. The Côte de Beaune also offers elegant red wines, less dense than those of the Cote de Nuit, but also very famous white wines such as Meursault, easily recognizable by its hazelnut aromas.