Unraveling the Complexities of Burgundy

The heart of Burgundy is the Cote d'Or (koht DOR), a 30 mile strip running from Dijon to Santenay in Eastern France. For reasons not fully understood, but inevitably related to terroir, this section of the world excels at nurturing the pinot noir and chardonnay grapes to their most sublime potential.

The northern half of the Cote d'Or, named the Cote de Nuits (koht duh NWEE), is best known for its red wines. The lower half, the Cote de Beaune (koht duh BOHN), also produces exceptional reds but is most famous for its whites.

Within the Cote de Nuits and the Cote de Beaune are numerous villages with vineyards of varying quality.

A bottle of Burgundy will cost anywhere from $10 to $1,000. Quality grades are based upon the degree of geographic specificity. Generally speaking, the more localized the source of the grapes, the better the wine.

At the lowest level is your basic Bourgogne, (French for Burgundy). The label will simply state: Bourgogne. The grapes for this wine are grown anywhere in the Burgundy region, usually from lower quality vineyards.

The next level up is a wine whose grapes come from anywhere within one of the two major divisions of the Cote d'Or. The label will say either Cote de Beaune or Cote de Nuits.

The next tier is a wine whose grapes arise from vineyards within a specific village in either the Cote de Beaune or Cote de Nuits. The label will only reveal the name of the village.

Now we start to enter the upper echelon of Burgundy. Certain vineyards have been classified by the French authorities as either premier cru or grand cru. The nature of a specific vineyard's terroir, and the way the grapes are grown and harvested, can radically alter the resulting quality.

A premier cru wine will have the name of the vineyard and the village it is in on the label. It will also say premier cru or 1er cru.

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