Burgundy is a vineyard located in the departments of Yonne, Côte-d'Or and Saône-et-Loire, it produces mainly white wines (62%).

The vine produces grapes and their juices are transformed into wine!

The vine comes from the Vitaceae family, it has countless branches but only the vitis vinifera branch produces wine. Today there are a large number of grape varieties (by definition it is a variety of vine plant).

In order to produce unique wines, pleasant to drink, the Burgundy winegrowers have selected the best vines for each plot and adapted to each terroir (the richness of its soil, its exposure, its appellation, …). The wines are also different due to the grape variety used, the vintage and the winemaking method. 

Unlike other regions, the great white wines of Burgundy are made from a single grape variety during the elaboration of the wine, we speak of monovarietal.

=> Particularity for Crémant de Bourgogne, since it can be composed of several grape varieties at the same time chardonnay, pinot blanc, aligoté, and melon de Bourgogne, and even (white) juices of black grapes.

Which grape variety in Burgundy?

The percentage of grape varieties in white:

• Chardonnay: 46%
• aligoté – 6%
• Sauvignon Blanc: 0.4%
• Burgundy melon, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Beurot: 0.6%

 

The king grape variety of Burgundy

• Le Chardonnay

The emblematic white grape variety of Burgundy is Chardonnay, on this terroir the Burgundy plant produces pretty small bunches . The sugar contents of the berries can reach high levels while maintaining a high acidity, which makes it possible to obtain particularly well-balanced wines .

The terroir makes it possible to offer a unique wine, adapted to each department :

• in the Yonne, mineral wines
• in Côte d'Or, opulent and racy wines
• in Saône-et-Loire, fatty and fruity wines

 

Chardonnay is the most widespread grape variety internationally because it has a very good ability to adapt to different types of soils (a preference for clay-limestone marls), but its favorite land remains Burgundy.

From one region to another, Chardonnay can present varied aromas as well as the expression of its climate for our greatest pleasure.

This grape variety is found in the greatest white wines of Burgundy, chablis, Côte de Beaune, Côte Chalonnaise and Mâconnais.

In Chablis, Chardonnay offers a very dry wine with a beautiful minerality, while in the Mâconnais the wine is tender, fresh, with notes of white flowers and a beautiful acidity in the finish.

In Côte de Beaune, it offers great famous white wines such as Meursault, Corton-Charlemagne and Bienvenue-Bâtard-Montrachet! At the time of tasting these wines are opulent, well balanced between fat and acidity, structured with brioche aromas, butter, honey and a very nice length in the finish.

In Côte Chalonnaise, it is a wine marked by notes of lemon, flower, yellow fruit, brioche and a beautiful saline acidity at the end of the mouth.

 

=> Particularity for the Chardonnay grape variety in Meursault (in Côte de Beaune), the grapes are pink, musky and aromatic, it is a spontaneous mutation.

 

Secondary grape varieties

• The Aligoté

For the record, the mayor of Dijon in the post-war period, used the aligoté grape variety during his aperitif kir white wine flavored with the cream of blackcurrant of Burgundy.

He liked to offer this preparation, made with 2/3 of Burgundy Aligoté and 1/3 of Cassis de Dijon (both specialties of the region) to important people during their visit to Burgundy. According to him, the blackcurrant cream made it possible to erase the natural acidity of the wine.

 

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It is a very old mid-fine plan in Burgundy, we recognize its grapes since they are larger and more numerous, yellow-orange in color unlike Chardonnay.

Aligoté yields are low and this grape variety is very sensitive to spring frosts that can compromise the entire harvest.

Burgundy Aligoté 2019 😍😍😍 pic.twitter.com/M27pCmjkpa

— MOREY MEURSAULT (@MoreyMeursault) September 19, 2019

This grape variety is planted everywhere from Chablis to the Mâconnais, used in the regional AOC Bourgogne-Aligoté, the Coteaux Bourguignons, the Crémants de Bourgogne and the AOC Village de Bouzeron in the Côte Chalonnaise. But this grape variety does not give right to the AOC Burgundy.

The wine it produces does not bear the name of the village where it is grown, only one exception: Bouzeron but it is legally called Bourgogne Aligoté.

Today the reputation of Aligoté continues to grow among wine lovers, much appreciated for its freshness and delicacy !

 

• Le Sauvignon Blanc

The Sauvignon Blanc grape variety of Burgundy is native to the Loire. It produces the Village Saint-Bris appellation since 2003 cultivated in the south-east of Auxerre, in the Yonne (1200 hectares).

Planted on Saint-Bris-le-Vineux, Chitry, Irancy, Quenne and Vincelottes with a limestone terroir, exposed to the north, we recognize its compact clusters with small berries of golden yellow color.

This white wine offers a pale yellow color with gold reflections, on the nose notes of white flowers, citrus (grapefruit, lemon, …), exotic fruits (lychee, …) and crumpled blackcurrant leaves. On the palate, it develops a dry, light and lively wine that awakens the taste buds. Excellent on youth!

Grape varieties on the verge of extinction …

• The Melon de Bourgogne

The Melon de Bourgogne grape variety: Originally from Burgundy, then planted on the… http://t.co/CCPbLldZ4g pic.twitter.com/tNUneYnazE

— Le Figaro Vin (@Figaro_Avis_Vin) June 28, 2015

Burgundy melon is a white grape variety native to Burgundy, planted mainly in the Yonne. It is part of the grape varieties of the Coteaux Bourguignons or the Crémants de Bourgogne.

Formerly the Duke of Burgundy, Philip the Bold had asked to destroy all the feet of this grape variety, but some winemakers in the region continued to cultivate it discreetly.

We discover a light wine, pleasant, discreet aromas on the fruit (lemon, grapefruit, apple, …), little acidic, well balanced with a beautiful freshness in the finish.

The Burgundy melon also called muscadet flourishes very well in the vineyards of the Loire. 

• Le Pinot Blanc

The Pinot Blanc grape variety is a grape variety from Burgundy, it likes on stony terroirs.

It is a very pleasant wine to drink, it offers a fragrant bouquet of fruits and spices, in the mouth a beautiful roundness and power.

• Le Pinot Beurot

The Pinot Beurot grape variety is the old name for Pinot Gris used for white wines.

Its berries are recognized on the one hand by their small size and on the other hand by their pinkish gray hue . It is pressed as soon as the vine returns, during the tasting we discover a nuanced color between golden and silver, a floral wine, with a beautiful roundness and a surprising length in the mouth. The recommended operating temperature is between 12 and 14°C.

It is planted mainly around Joigny in the Yonne department, under different names:

• Burgundy
• Burgundy Clairet
• Burgundy grand ordinaire or Burgundy ordinaire
• Crémant de Bourgogne

 

=> Wines from Pinot and Chardonnay have a better ability to age than those from Aligoté.