Masterclass on Burgundy
Written by wine expert, Claus Donnerstag
Join us on a tour through Burgundy. We explain the different areas, climate, fascinating facts about Burgundy, its premier wines and regions, and why Burgundy has become so expensive to buy.
The Burgundy region
Burgundy is a province located in eastern France, known particularly for its great white wines, primarily based on the Chardonnay grape, and exceptional red wines based on the Pinot Noir grape. The province includes the wine regions of Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune in the Côte d'Or area, as well as Côte Chalonnaise and Mâconnais in the Saône area in the Loire, and finally the wines from Chablis and Auxerre in the Yonne area.
Generally, the great red wines come from Côte de Nuits in the north and the great white wines from Côte de Beaune in the south. If you're curious about specific sub-regions of Burgundy, you may want to view our Masterclasses on Chambolle-Musigny and Puligny-Montrachet.
Looking at the numbers, in 2011 Burgundy had 28,320 hectares of vineyards, yielding an astounding 1.5 million hectoliters of wine. Of this area, 61% is used for white wine, 31% for red wine, and 8% for Crémant de Bourgogne, a sparkling wine.
The Beaujolais area is not counted as part of Burgundy in this context, as it is officially part of Rhône, though Beaujolais is often considered a more southern, concentrated Burgundy wine, made from the Gamay grape. In Beaujolais, a total of 1 million hectoliters is produced, which represents a substantial share compared to Burgundy’s overall production across its municipalities.
The Generic Appellations
The generic appellations for white Burgundy wines include Bourgogne Aligoté, Bourgogne Blanc, and Bourgogne Grand Ordinaire.
The generic appellations for red Burgundy wines include Bourgogne Passetoutgrain, Coteaux Bourguignons, and Bourgogne Rouge, the latter based on pure Pinot Noir and by far the most common.
Burgundy's Classification
Burgundy's classification was formally defined in 1861 by the Beaune Agricultural Committee, which includes, in addition to "entry-level" wines, 1er cru (also known as Premier cru) and Grand cru.
The concept of "domaine bottling" first appeared in the 1930s, pioneered by Armand Rousseau. A fun fact from 2011 shows that 58% of Burgundy’s total production was sold by 250 negociants, while 26% was sold by 3,800 domaines, and the remaining 16% by 23 large cooperatives.
Burgundy’s vineyards are located on limestone soils. In comparison, Burgundy’s climate in spring, during flowering, is similar to Bordeaux’s, but much cooler in both winter and summer. This creates optimal conditions for the grapes cultivated in Burgundy. However, Pinot Noir is unique and somewhat fragile compared to the hardy Chardonnay grape. Frost damage occurs in certain years, and the trend of localized hail damage appears to be increasing.
Beaune – The Wine Capital of Burgundy
Beaune is Burgundy’s wine capital, and it lends its name to Côte de Beaune in Côte d'Or. Beaune’s vineyards offer a broad selection of 1er cru sites stretching from Savigny-lès-Beaune to Pommard. The southern half of the Côte d'Or slope produces some remarkable white wines, considered by many to be the best white wines in the world. Key appellations here include Corton-Charlemagne, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, and Chassagne-Montrachet.
Nuits-Saint-Georges is the main town in the northern part of Côte d'Or, and Côte de Nuits is named after it. The primary villages in the northern part of Côte d'Or include Gevrey-Chambertin, Morey-Saint-Denis, Chambolle-Musigny, Vougeot, Vosne-Romanée, Flagey-Echézeaux, and finally Nuits-Saint-Georges.
Looking closely at the slope itself, the lower part is more fertile than the upper, for a logical reason: over the years, the upper part has mixed with poorer soil.
The region’s most notable red wines come from Côte d'Or, specifically Côte de Nuits. For white wines, Chablis in the north offers the freshest, green-toned whites, while the finest whites come from Côte de Beaune. Moving southward, the wines grow richer and fuller.
Côte d'Or means “golden slope,” comprising the slopes of a ridge extending about 50 km south from Dijon. The dominant rock type is limestone, ideal for growing both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir grapes. As the terrain rises, drainage improves, and it’s on this plateau that the best 1er cru plots are found. The very finest small plots have received the highest status, Grand cru, typically located at an elevation of 250–350 meters. Near the top of the ridge, where the soil is poorer, lies the Villages appellation.
The many differences in Burgundy
Surprisingly, there are very few regulations on wine production in Burgundy. Factors such as destemming, fermentation temperature, maceration time, type of barrel, length of barrel aging, and filtration are entirely up to the producer. One of the challenges in understanding Burgundy is that its complexity only comes with age. A young Burgundy wine can seem simple, with notes of strawberry, cherry, and plum, appearing light and delicate. Personally, I am deeply impressed by how both red and white Burgundy wines can achieve near-perfect finesse and elegance with the right age.
I believe that, over time, one can learn to appreciate wines that need to be coaxed out, rather than those with few notes and tones to play on. Don’t worry if you haven’t reached that moment yet—it takes practice, time, and patience.
Burgundy has one thing that makes the region easy to overview: its grapes. Burgundy likely holds a world record for having the simplest grape selection, broken down as follows:
49% Chardonnay
35% Pinot Noir
8% Gamay (these numbers exclude Beaujolais)
6% Aligoté
2% Sauvignon Blanc and other grapes
Price Development of Burgundy Wines
Prices of Burgundy wines have been rising for many years, and despite declines in 2023 and 2024, they remain high. This is due to the fact that many producers in Burgundy have very few rows on any given plot, resulting in production as low as one barrel (25 cases), bringing us back to the classic rule of supply and demand. As the world has discovered the enchantment of Burgundy wines, they have become highly sought-after.
If you would like to keep track of the price trends for Burgundy wines, ShareWine publishes the quarterly trend report ShareWine Trends, featuring the latest data and trends from the marketplace.
Something Truly Special
Finally, here’s another fun fact about Burgundy. They are so passionate about their wine that several town names have taken on vineyard names. For example, the vineyard La Romanée, one of the best grand cru sites in Vosne-Romanée, led the town of Vosne to adopt the name Vosne-Romanée. Similarly, Gevrey became Gevrey-Chambertin after the grand cru vineyard Le Chambertin. Another example is the vineyard Le Montrachet, which gave its name to the town Puligny-Montrachet. Yes, Burgundy is truly something special.
Thank you for reading along.