Part II · Terroir

Burgundy

[Bourgogne: boor-GOHN-yuh]

Terroir-driven Pinot Noir and Chardonnay from the Côte d'Or; complex and cellar-worthy.

The Region

Burgundy (Bourgogne) is the terroir-obsessed heart of French wine, a narrow strip of limestone slopes where Pinot Noir and Chardonnay reach their most expressive and site-specific form. Its mosaic of named climats — individually classified plots — produces the world's most sought-after and expensive wines, organized into regional, village, Premier Cru, and Grand Cru tiers.

History

Cistercian monks mapped Burgundy's soils plot by plot from the 12th century, founding the climat system. The French Revolution broke up church holdings, fragmenting vineyards into the small family parcels that persist today. The 1936 AOC laws enshrined the region's terroir hierarchy, making Burgundy the legal model for appellation systems worldwide.