Burgundy, France

Burgundy is world renowned for its ageable, high-quality wines. Nestled in eastern France along a narrow stretch of limestone ridges, Burgundy is a prime example of how terroir can make a wine identifiably no matter what country it is enjoyed in. 

A single grape (either Pinot Noir or Chardonnay) planted on two adjacent plots can yield wines with radically different personalities. This is a region where five meters of soil variation and an hour’s difference in sunlight define greatness. It is humbling and complex, and a true example of why producing wine is truly an artform. 

The Big Picture: Burgundy’s Global Role

Burgundy (or Bourgogne) is smaller than Bordeaux by every measure — roughly one-fifth the size, with around 74,000 acres of vines. But what it lacks in volume, it makes up for in economic impact. After all, some of the region's top wines regularly fetch thousands of dollars per bottle.

While Bordeaux built its fame on blends, Burgundy became a global icon through purity and place. Each wine is a single variety from a single vineyard. This singularity has inspired copycats from Oregon to New Zealand, but the soul of Burgundy remains distinctly its own.

A Region of Layers: The Côte d’Or and Beyond

The heart of Burgundy is the Côte d’Or, a golden slope divided into two halves: the Côte de Nuits in the north, focused almost exclusively on Pinot Noir, and the Côte de Beaune in the south, home to many of the world’s greatest Chardonnays.

In the Côte de Nuits, legendary villages like Gevrey-Chambertin, Vosne-Romanée, and Nuits-Saint-Georges produce red wines of staggering depth and finesse. These communes are densely packed along a narrow escarpment where limestone and marl soils meet the cool air flowing from the Morvan hills. The Pinot Noir here ripens slowly, preserving delicate aromatics while developing complexity and structure.

Just south, the Côte de Beaune transitions gently into white wine territory. Villages like Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, and Chassagne-Montrachet sit on limestone soils streaked with clay, perfect for Chardonnay. The best wines from these villages combine richness and minerality, capable of aging for decades. Yet even here, Pinot Noir thrives in spots like Volnay, Pommard, and Savigny-lès-Beaune, reminding drinkers that nothing in Burgundy is absolute.

Beyond the Côte d’Or lie the often-overlooked outer rings of Burgundy: Chablis to the north, the Côte Chalonnaise and Mâconnais to the south, and Beaujolais further still. Each contributes to the region’s identity in its own way. Chablis, with its fossil-strewn Kimmeridgian limestone, produces steely, citrus-driven Chardonnay that can cut like a scalpel. The Côte Chalonnaise offers vibrant, value-driven reds and whites. The Mâconnais delivers ripe, fruit-forward Chardonnay from sun-soaked hillsides. And Beaujolais — long dismissed as a Nouveau novelty — is now finding redemption in serious, terroir-driven expressions of Gamay.

The Grape Story: One Red, One White, Infinite Possibilities

Burgundy is defined by two grapes, but within those constraints, a wide range of potential unfolds.

Pinot Noir, fragile and fickle, thrives in the cool climate and limestone soils of the Côte d’Or. It is famously transparent, both in color and in its ability to reflect terroir. A Pinot from Gevrey-Chambertin may show wild forest fruit and muscular tannin, while one from Volnay might shimmer with violets, red cherry, and silky grace.

Chardonnay, far from being a blank slate, speaks fluently of its origins here. In Chablis, it is electric and saline. In Meursault, it takes on notes of hazelnut, baked apple, and beeswax. In Puligny-Montrachet, it becomes tight and mineral, like a wine carved from stone. These wines see a range of winemaking styles, from stainless steel to new oak, but the best always maintain a line of acidity and a sense of restraint.

The Soil Beneath the Story: Limestone, Marl, and Clays

What makes Burgundy Burgundy is its geological complexity. The region sits atop an ancient seabed where tectonic uplift has exposed layers of limestone, marl, and clay in shifting patterns. A single vineyard may have one type of limestone at its top, another at its base, and variations in slope, aspect, and drainage that alter everything.

In general, Pinot Noir thrives in marl-rich soils, a mix of clay and limestone that retains enough water to support the vine’s early ripening. Chardonnay prefers pure limestone and chalkier soils that promote tension and aromatic lift. But the real beauty lies in exceptions, where site trumps theory.

Monks from the Cistercian and Benedictine orders mapped these differences as early as the 11th century, laying the groundwork for today’s vineyard classifications. Their legacy is not just spiritual, it’s viticultural.

The Pyramid of Classification: From Regional to Grand Cru

Burgundy’s wines are organized into a four-tier system that reflects not prestige or château status, but place. At the base are regional wines labeled Bourgogne Rouge or Blanc. These are entry points, often made from grapes sourced across the region or from vineyards outside prestigious villages.

Above that sit the village wines, which carry the name of their commune, such as Vosne-Romanée or Meursault, and reflect the overall character of that place.

Next are the Premier Crus, or "First Growths," which come from specially designated vineyard sites within a village. They are labeled with both the village and vineyard name, like Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru “Les Folatières.” These wines typically show greater structure, finesse, and ageability.

At the top of the pyramid are the Grand Crus, rare and often tiny parcels that produce the region’s most legendary wines. Romanée-Conti, Clos de Tart, Le Montrachet, and Chambertin are names whispered with awe in cellars around the world. Together, all 33 Grand Crus account for less than 2% of Burgundy’s production, but nearly half of its global mystique.

The Human Element: Small Growers, Big Impact

Burgundy’s most unique feature isn’t just its soil or grapes. It’s its people. Thanks to Napoleonic inheritance laws, vineyards have been divided over centuries into ever-smaller holdings. A single Grand Cru may be owned by dozens of different growers, each with a few rows of vines. This fragmentation has led to a culture where growers and négociants both play vital roles.

Some producers, like Domaine Leroy or Arnaud Ente, own and farm their own land exclusively. Others, like Drouhin and Bouchard Père & Fils, source fruit or buy barrels through long-standing relationships. Increasingly, small growers are bottling their own wines rather than selling to larger houses, giving rise to a generation of vignerons who are both farmers and auteurs.

This shift has redefined quality in the region. Today, some of Burgundy’s most exciting wines come from producers whose names barely fit on the label — passionate growers working organically, biodynamically, and often with little to no intervention in the cellar.

The Taste of Place: Burgundy in the Glass

To drink Burgundy is to taste the land — sometimes literally. A Pinot Noir from Nuits-Saint-Georges might evoke black cherry, crushed herbs, and iron-rich earth. A Premier Cru from Chambolle-Musigny glides across the palate with red fruit and floral elegance. A Puligny-Montrachet might open with lemon zest and crushed seashell, then broaden into almond and cream.

These wines are rarely showy. They don’t boast high alcohol or new oak bombast. Instead, they reward patience, attention, and return visits. They’re made to evolve in the glass and in the bottle, speaking differently with every swirl and every year.

Burgundy’s wines are natural partners for food. Red Burgundy pairs beautifully with roast chicken, duck breast, mushroom risotto, or even seared tuna. The lighter structure and higher acidity make it a surprisingly flexible red for vegetables and seafood.

White Burgundy finds its match in creamy cheeses, scallops in beurre blanc, roasted root vegetables, and buttery poultry dishes. Chablis, with its bracing acidity, is ideal for oysters, goat cheese, or sushi.