Burgundy occupies a place of
choice in the wine world. Celebrated for its elegant and refined wines at
base ofPinot NoirOrChardonnay, the region is indeed renowned for
producesome of the best wines in the world. It also has a
prioritizationthat the entire wine world envies us for its great precision.
Premiers Crus and Grands Crus:
definition
InBurgundy, the notion of Cru defines in a way
very precisea plot of vines(also called “Climate”), of which
the floors and the exposure are unique. Thus, unlikeBordeaux, This
it is not the domains that are valued here but the land itself. Of
more, with the exception of certain monopolies, several owners rub shoulders
within these parcels, whether classified as Premier orGrand Cru.
From a historical perspective, it is also noteworthy that while the official process
classification of Climats only really began at the end of the 18th century
century, many parcels of vines had already been identified
for several centuries due to the thousand-year-old wine-growing history of the region.
Let us now see the general classification of the wines of
the region.
The hierarchy of wines in Burgundy
Burgundy wines are divided into 3 levels of appellation:
The 7 regional AOCs(52%
of production), cover the entire Burgundy wine-growing area (e.g.:
AOC Burgundy, Crémant de Bourgogne,Burgundy hillsidesetc.). They
form the base of the pyramid.
The 44 AOC Villages(37%
of production) constitute the intermediate category of this hierarchy. In
its breast, we find in particular the662 Climates classified inPremier Cru(10%
of production), distributed throughout the region, from Chablis to Mâconnais
passing through the Côte de Beaune and the Côte Chalonnaise.
We can cite for example the great appellations
Puligny Montrachet,Chassagne-Montrachet,Meursault,Gevrey Chambertin,Beaune,Pouilly-FuisseorChambolle-Musignyin which renowned Premiers Crus
exist, like the Climats Folatières (Domaine Alain Chavy), Clos Saint-Jean
(At the foot of Mont Chauve), Charms (Domaine MichelotAndJacques Prior), Les Champeaux (Domaine Philippe Naddef), Clos du Roi (Decelle & Sons) or even Pouilly (Domain Horse).
Other appellations, sometimes less famous but just as qualitative, also have remarkable Premiers Crus such asAOC Marsannay,Rully(Jaeger-Defaix estate) orMercurey(domain François Raquillet)
The 33 AOC Grands Crus(1% of regional production), represent about
they are the absolute elite of the region, thus distinguishingthe most beautiful terroirs
and allowing the production of the best (and often the most expensive) wines in the region. These
33 plots are located exclusively within theChablisas well as the
Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune.
Now that you better understand the organization
wine-growing region of Burgundy, all you have to do is make your choice within
such wonderful references! For this, do not hesitate to seek advice directly fromThe Illuminated Cellar!