Burgundy vineyards

The vineyards of Burgundy are very complicated. The basic premise is that they are allocated status based on soil type and aspect which creates a better meso-climate for growing grapes. Often, the better vineyards occupy the higher slopes which produce the best fruit, while the lower slopes produce less concentration so go for generic wines of the appellation. Within these categories are ‘domaines’ which are simply individual estates within the boundaries of the village vineyards. A producer (or négociant) may make wine from several domaines across different status vineyards. This is where Burgundy becomes difficult to understand because of an old law laid down by Napoleon Bonaparte. The law ensures that land is divided equally among the family upon the death of an owner. This has created a situation where the domaines (estates) are no longer owned by a single person or company. This requires a lot of cooperation and confusion because a family may only own a couple of rows of vines. This has prevented large volumes of the best wines from being made causing them to be rare and expensive. Bordeaux avoided falling victim to the same problems by having estates run as an entire business that could not be divided under inheritance laws.