Collection: Buy Burgundy Premier Crus

Burgundy holds a prominent place in the wine world. Celebrated for its elegant and refined wines made from Pinot Noir or Chardonnay, the region is indeed renowned for producing some of the best wines in the world. It also boasts a classification that the entire wine world envies for its great precision.

Premiers Crus and Grands Crus : definition

In Burgundy, the notion of Cru defines very precisely a plot of vines (also called "Climat"), whose soils and exposure are unique. Thus, unlike Bordeaux, it is not the estates that are valued here but the land itself. Moreover, with the exception of certain monopolies, several owners coexist within these plots, whether they are classified as Premier or Grand Cru.

From a historical perspective, it is also worth noting that while the official process of classifying the Climats only really began at the end of the 18th century, many vineyard plots had already been identified for several centuries due to the region's millennia-old wine history.

Now let's look at the general classification of the region's wines.

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 territory (e.g. : AOC Bourgogne, Crémant de Bourgogne, Coteaux Bourguignons etc.). They form the base of the pyramid.

The 44 AOC Villages (37% of the production) constitute the intermediate category of this hierarchy. Within it, we notably find the 662 Climats classified as Premier Cru (10% of the production), spread throughout the region, from Chablisien to Mâconnais, including Côte de Beaune and Côte Chalonnaise.

For example, we can mention the major appellations Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, Meursault, Gevrey-Chambertin, Beaune, Pouilly-Fuissé or even Chambolle-Musigny within which renowned Premier Crus exist, such as the Climats Folatières (Domaine Alain Chavy), Clos Saint-Jean (Au Pied du Mont Chauve), Charmes (Domaine Michelot and Jacques Prieur), Les Champeaux (Domaine Philippe Naddef), Clos du Roi (Decelle & Fils) or even Pouilly (Domaine Cheveau).

Other appellations, sometimes less renowned but equally qualitative, also have remarkable Premiers Crus such as AOC Marsannay, Rully (domaine Jaeger-Defaix) or even Mercurey (domaine François Raquillet).

The 33 AOC Grands Crus (1% of the regional production) represent the absolute elite of the region, thus distinguishing the finest terroirs and allowing the production of the best wines (and often the most expensive) of the region. These 33 plots are found exclusively within the Chablisien as well as the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune.

Now that you have a better understanding of the Burgundy wine organization, all you have to do is make your choice among these magnificent references! For this, do not hesitate to ask for advice directly from La Cave Éclairée !