Burgundy/Beaujolais/Jura
Burgundy/Beaujolais/Jura
A long, thin, disjointed region encompassing three main types of rock, though a multitude of terroirs. There are only four main grape varieties, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Gamay and Aligoté. In the north Chablis is sited on very chalky clay and produces steely, stony Chardonnay.
You’ll also find a newish appellation of St-Bris, growing Sauvignon Blanc as you might expect only an hour from Sancerre. After a long drive southwest you arrive in the Côte d`Or, or Burgundy proper as we improperly call it. Here is limestone. Vineyard sites classified by monks form a patchwork over the hills to the east of the D974, forming an almost unbroken landscape from the southern suburbs of Dijon’s sprawl to Chagny. South of that, the Côte Chalonnaise is a fragmented region with its wine villages a distance apart from one another.
Finally the Maconnais, plump with value Chardonnay reaches down to Beaujolais and geological change gives us Gamay loving granite in the form of rolling hills. And here we find that Rabelaisian quaffing wine of pleasure, the Beaujolais itself.
There are five classifications of Beaujolais: Beaujolais, Beaujolais Supérieur, Beaujolais Villages, Beaujolais Nouveau and the 10 Beaujolais Crus. As with the rest of Burgundy, the producer's name on the bottle is often the most important factor.
- ChablisNowhere to stay, nowhere to eat, only white wine. Those are the three reasons to avoid going to any village usually, but then the chalky hills of Chablis are home to specialist growers who between them make some of the best Chardonnay anywhere. So then, vaut le detour indeed. That soil really is different if you have seen much Kimmeridgian clay. Almost glistening white, especially in the winter on the best sites, kicking down the rows quickly reveals plentiful fossils. (CW 11/01/12)
- Cote de NuitsAbsolutely, definitively and without doubt the world`s finest wine region. An enormous outdoor temple to the perpetual worship of the world`s finest grape - Pinot Noir, this stretch of hallowed ground between Dijon and Beaune is populated by growers following traditions dating back to the arrival of Benedictine and Cistercian monks. Now recovering from some disastrous replanting decisions after the second world war, not to mention the chemical agriculture that started in earnest around that time, the wines have arguably never been better. (CW 11/01/12)
- Cote de BeauneIf the Cote de Nuits is the heavenliest red wine region, then the Cote de Beaune, which houses the finest Chardonnay on the planet as well as some very fine indeed examples of Pinot Noir must run it a close second on the wine front. And it has better restaurants. (CW 11/01/12)
- Cote ChalonnaiseSouth of the Cote de Beaune, Chalonnaise is often dismissed by people who should know better as rustic. In fact there are many fine growers in places like Givry, Mercurey and Rully among others. The landscape here is different from the Cotes de Nuits and Beaune as other crops are grown and grazed between vineyards. (CW 11/01/12)
- MaconnaisLike Avis the Maconnais try harder. Bizarrely yields are often lower than in the more exalted northern Cotes and from good producers wines are many levels above the basic. Of course here as anywhere you must be picky about whose wines you buy. (CW 11/01/12)
- BeaujolaisLand of Granite and therefore Burgundy`s home for Gamay, a much despised grape as far back as the fourteenth century, when Philip the Bold banned it from Burgundy proper. Here though, it can sing and has, in the best examples, pure fruit and real energy. (CW 11/01/12)
- Jura and Savoie
This profile owes a lot to the ground-breaking work of Wink Lorch in her books Wines of the French Alps and Jura Wines. It may seem strange including the French alps in our Burgundy section but there are many parallels and connections, perhaps especially with Jura. Like Beaujolais, Jura provides opportunities for young winegrowers to establish themselves more cheaply - if at the cost of working harder because of the terroir. Savoie is another level with often steeper vineyards and is poorer financially and in having a low profile as far as wine drinkers are concerned.
Both areas have their own vine varieties with Jura owning Savagnin/Traminer as its white and Trousseau its red. Both are capable of producing delicious wines. Savagnin is assertive and characterful and is used for flor-contact winemaking like fino sherry as well as conventional whites and the legendary sweet/dry Chateau Chalon. Trousseau is often pale and delicate but still intense. You will also find plenty of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir among others. In both Jura and Savoie sparkling wines are often made.
In Savoie the Altesse vine, more commonly known as Roussette, is a fascinating creature. floral, spicy and rich whites. Mondeuse is the red speciality. It is one of Syrah`s ancestors and like its grandchild makes fruity and tannic reds. The soils in Savoie are generally limestone and marl, the former having been pushed up from the seabed when the alps - a youngish mountain range - were formed. Most of the best vineyards are between 350-450 metres. Of course the histories of both Jura and Savoie are much more complex, as is the range of vines grown and wines made. (CW 07/09/21)