Burgundy names its wine after the land, down to a single plot. Chardonnay covers 57% of the vineyard's surface area, pinot noir 34% and aligoté 6%, and other varieties make up the remaining 3%.
Burgundy's climats are precisely delimited vineyard parcels on the slopes of the Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune, south of Dijon. They are on the UNESCO World Heritage List, in a site whose second part is the historic center of Dijon.
The wine
Burgundy sorts its wine into 84 appellations on four levels. At the base are 7 regional appellations, such as Bourgogne Aligoté and Crémant de Bourgogne. Then come 44 village appellations, each named after the commune where the grapes grew.
A premier cru wine comes from a single climat, a precisely defined plot within a village appellation. The label gives the village name followed by the plot, as in Chablis Premier Cru Montée de Tonnerre.
The 33 grand crus go one step further. On their labels the village name disappears and only the climat remains, such as Corton or Montrachet.
Chablis has its own ladder of names: Petit Chablis, Chablis, Chablis Premier Cru and Chablis Grand Cru.
The grapes follow the map. Chardonnay makes the great white wines of Chablis and the Côte de Beaune. In the Mâconnais, chardonnay makes the whites and gamay is a popular grape for the reds.
How visits work
Most tastings here are booked. In the Côte d'Or, guided walks, vineyard outings and cellar tastings are generally offered on reservation through the Beaune Tourist Office.
Fees depend on the format:
Tastings in and around Beaune| Estate | Town | Tasting from |
|---|
| Domaine Besancenot | Beaune | €15 ($16) |
|---|
| Marché aux Vins | Beaune | €25 ($27) |
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| Les Climats at Château de la Crée | Santenay | €59 ($64) |
|---|
At Domaine Besancenot, the €15 ($16) visit includes a tasting of 7 wines. At the Marché aux Vins, the reserved Discovery tasting of 5 wines costs €25 ($27), and the Prestige tasting of 7 wines €49 ($53). Its fully guided Exclusive tasting runs at 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m., in French or English, for groups of up to 10.
Caves Patriarche in Beaune runs a self-guided tour of its cellars, in a former convent, with video terminals along the way.
In Chablis, La Chablisienne, the cooperative at 8 boulevard Pasteur, accounts for about 25% of Chablis production and has a tasting cellar.
In the Mâconnais, the Cave de Prissé has 2,400 members, and 98% of what it makes is AOP Mâcon; it offers discovery tastings. The Route des Vins Mâconnais-Beaujolais, opened in 1986, runs 75 km through villages including Solutré-Pouilly and Fuissé.
The Moulin Sorine is the Côte de Beaune's only windmill, and its guided tour ends with a glass of Santenay.
Planning a trip
From Paris, take the TGV INOUI from Gare de Lyon to Dijon and change to a TER for Beaune; the trip takes around 136 minutes. From Dijon, 23 trains a day cover the 38 km to Beaune in as little as 18 minutes.
Before you go:
- Book tastings and guided outings ahead. In the Côte d'Or they are generally offered on reservation through the Beaune Tourist Office.
- Allow for the change at Dijon on the way from Paris. One sample timetable has a 25-minute connection.
- At the Marché aux Vins, reservations are required in the shop or online, and the guided Exclusive tasting runs only at 10:30 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Spit at tastings if you are driving, or choose a designated driver for the day.
