Burgundy slide 4
Chablis
Chablis is located in the northern end of Burgundy. Being pronoun to a fruity, dry and elegant white wines, Chablis enjoys an immortal reputation. The chalky soil is considered to be the most suitable for Chardonnay. Wines of Chablis are classified by the vineyard quality into four categories of Chablis Grand Cru, Chablis Premier Cru, Chablis and Petit Chablis.
Côtes D’Or
The area called Côte d’Or (translates to golden hill) is a range of low hills stretching around 60 km from north to south. Côte de Nuits is the northern half that begins to the south of Dijon, and the southern Côte de Beaune. Côte de Nuits is a long and narrow area with a length of 20km from north to south. The altitude is 270 -300m near Dijon and 230 -260m in the south. The vineyards are based on ancient limestone soil washed down the gentle slopes by rain towards the River Sâone. Pinot Noir makes up 92% of wine produced in the area with excellent flavours and high potential for longevity. Burgundy’s Grands Crus vineyards are concentrated in this area. The Côte de Beaune is longer and wider than Côte de Nuits and the vineyards are situated on soils of limestone and marl. Due to its diverse terroir, the vineyards can produce various types of wine with two thirds of them are for white wine and one third is for red. The white wines include some of the most prestigious wines in the world.
Côte Chalonnaise
This area is situated to the south of Côte de Beaune. The vineyards are located at higher altitudes than in Côte de Beaune, at 250 -370m on hilly terrains of clay-limestone soil. This area produces both red and white wines which are fruity, light and balanced but less expensive and better value than the Côtes D’Or.
Mâconnais
At the most southern area of Burgundy you will find the Mâconnais. It is the largest in acreage among the five areas other than Beaujolais. The soils here are diverse clay and limestone which are very suitable for Chardonnay. The area produces refreshing and fruity white wines of excellent value with eighty-five percent of the area’s production being Chardonnay.
Beaujolais
Most of this area’s wines are red wines made from the red grape, Gamay, though some white and rosé wines are also made. Red wines are light and mild with fresh and fruity characters. Most of these red wines undergo carbonic maceration to make very fruity wines for early drinking that are rarely oak aged. In the northern part of Beaujolais, low rolling hills continue. Here, Gamay planted on the granite soil produces wines of superior quality including the ten Cru Beaujolais and Beaujolais-Villages wines. On the other hand, the south has flatter terrain and more fertile soils than the north producing generic Beaujolais wines. Beaujolais Nouveau, the new wines of the year released on the third Thursday of November, share one third of the Beaujolais’s total wine production. About a half of Beaujolais Nouveau is exported and Japan is the largest export market for the wine. The Nouveaux are made with both Beaujolais and Beaujolais Villages.
| Gamay Red grape variety | ||
| Styles | Climate: Moderate Climate: Secondary flavours: Tertiary flavours: | Cool to moderate Raspberry, violet, banana, bubble gum with medium to high acidity and medium to low tannins Banana and bubble gum flavours develop from carbonic maceration in simple wines Oak ageing often used when less or no carbonic maceration used, adds smoky and tannin structure Not for ageing |
| Features | Produces Beaujolais Nouveau wine. These wines are released very early to export markets for cash flow. Many are simple, soft, fruity wines due to carbonic maceration Beaujolais Cru are superior wines with tannin structure and finesse Rarely found outside Beaujolais | |
| Pair with | Roasted chicken, tagines, stewed pork, lentils, low fat meats | |