(peaceful harp music) >> (narrator)
The French region of
Burgundy is not only one of the finest winegrowing
areas of the world, but potentially
the most intricate. The simple premise of white
wines based on Chardonnay and red wines based on
Pinot Noir gives way to over 2,000 years of
history and complexity. (peaceful harp music) >> (with French accent)
Burgundy is very famous
worldwide, as you know, because it's the birthplace
of two grapes which are very famous--
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. (peaceful harp music) >> (with French accent)
The climate in Burgundy is continental. The summer is hot and
the winters are cold. >> (narrator)
The soil composition of
individual vineyards varies, and each site demands
a different approach, from grape selection to
style of winemaking. >> (with French accent)
Winemaking is always
a personal view, a personal expression
of terroir. It's diversity of soil, of
exposure of microclimates. >> (narrator)
Centrally located, the city of Beaune serves
as the economic hub of the wine
business, but Burgundy abounds with
countless small villages, each with their own unique
character and wine style. (peaceful harp music) Like many French
wine regions, grapegrowing can be
traced back to the Romans, but it was the influence of
the ruling Dukes of Burgundy and religious orders that
had the most influence on the tradition and
quality of the wines. >> (with French accent)
The monks, as you know, in Burgundy have
been very important, many centuries ago. >> (with French accent)
They try to have-- to make very
good wine, and they select the best
area to make the wine. >> (narrator)
In the early 10th century, monks began isolating
superior vineyards and surrounding them
with stone walls, producing wines of
singular expression. In the 14th century,
a Cistercian abbey created Burgundy's
largest enclosed vineyard with the establishment
of the Clos du Vougeot. (peaceful harp music) >> (with French accent)
Remember that the monks during the Middle Ages
were the engineers, the economists
of the time, and where the miracle is,
is that the monks, during the Middle Ages, found
in the forests of Burgundy a wild varietal that was
called later Pinot Noir, which, married
to these soils, is capable to
produce great wines. >> (narrator)
The ruling Valois Dukes limited the use of
red grapes to Pinot Noir, changing the landscape for
the future of Burgundy. Philip the Bold forbade
importation of grapes from outside regions and
ordered Gamay to be torn up. (pensive harp music) In theory,
Gamay would remain only in the southern peasant
region of Beaujolais, where today, it's still
the primary grape. Ironically, Gamay
can be produced in the village
of Chardonnay, but not in its namesake
hamlet near Saint-Aubin. When Burgundy was incorporated
into the Kingdom of France, the church owned the
majority of famous vineyards. After the
French Revolution, former monastic lands
were auctioned off. Napoleonic Codes
established that property was to be distributed equally
to surviving heirs, creating a complicated
ownership structure. As time progressed, later
generations may have owned only a single row of
vines in a prize location. This led to the rise
of the négociant, who stepped in to buy grapes
from multiple owners and produce a single wine
for the market. (pensive harp music) Today, Burgundy is made up
of six vastly different, and relatively small,
winegrowing regions, but what the region
lacks in size, it makes up for
in complexity. (pensive harp music) At the north of Burgundy
is Chablis, known exclusively
for white wines. >> (with French accent)
Chablis, it's a wine, but it's a village--
2,500 people. 100% of the people live because
of the wine of Chablis. (calm, playful
piano music) The wine of Chablis is made
with Chardonnay, of course. It's a cooler place
than Beaujolais, and that's what make
Chablis so special, you know, that mineral
flavor that you get, you know, that
light acidity. >> (narrator)
The vineyards of Chablis are covered by
three appellations with increasing
levels of quality: Petit Chablis,
Chablis, and Chablis Grand Cru. The Chablis appellation
includes geographic designations for Premier Cru
vineyards, while the Grand Cru
designation applies to a single appellation, which can be divided
into seven named plots. (mellow guitar music) >> The Petit Chablis--
it's a super wine, young, you know, very happening,
very refreshing, you know, very open. Chablis has more body, you know,
it's different, of course-- it can age a
little more. Premier Cru, while you have
some Premier Cru not far from the Grand Cru, which are,
of course, wine with more body, you know,
bigger structure. And the Grand Cru-- the Grand Cru you have seven
different climat name. (music) You can see
the slope. You know, it's facing
south, southeast, and you have the sun all day
long there on that hill. >> (narrator)
While the roots
of wine character stem from a maddening
number of factors, the wines of Chablis
are inextricably linked to their calcareous soil. >> You have a good example
right here--that's limestone. You can see all the
small oyster shells. If you have oyster,
if you love oyster, I think the Chablis Village
is perfect, really, because you have a
certain amount of acidity. It's not too rich,
you know? It's a good balance
against the oyster. (mellow music) >> (narrator)
South of Chablis
is the Côte d'Or, encompassing both
the Côte de Nuits and the
Côte de Beaune. The icon of Chardonnay
and Pinot Noir, these wines are the most revered
and expensive examples of their type, regardless of the final
quality in the bottle. Most producers release a
wine at the regional level, but the quality
hierarchy is extended with a multitude of
village appellations. These village wines may
include additional designations of named "lieu-dit” or specified
Premier Cru vineyards which have historically produced
wines of superior quality. Beyond the
village level, a handful of
prestigious vineyards boast their own
appellation, limited only to grapes
from that single plot. >> 50% of the area is
(indistinct), 30% is village, 12% is Premier Cru,
and 3% is Grand Cru. >> (with French accent)
The Grand Cru is usually the base located place
among the villages. And you find them, usually,
on a very little slope, usually on the
south, southeast. (calm piano music) The Côte de Nuits is known
for its red Burgundy. (calm piano music) >> The Pinot Noir
in Côte de Nuits is more full-bodied
and more powerful. (calm piano music) >> Most of the
Grand Cru red are located in
the Côte de Nuits. >> The Grand Cru is something
that should give you more intense pleasure,
developing more complexity, the ability to age for
a longer time, as well, whatever the vintage,
I should say. (calm piano music) Here, we are in the
heart of the Marsannay and the Grand Cru,
which is behind us, is the
Clos des Lambrays. (calm orchestral music) >> (narrator)
While Grand Cru wines are universally
expensive, the reputation of a
Premier Cru may vary in status from little above the
village designation to a reputation that may
exceed some Grand Crus. (calm orchestral music) >> (with French accent)
We are standing in the vineyard of the Clos Saint-Jacques, which is known
around the world for being the most famous
Premier Cru of Gevrey-Chambertin and with a level of
quality of the Grand Cru. (calm piano music) >> (narrator)
The distinctions between individual villages
vary widely. Marsannay can be
simple, delicious, and relatively
inexpensive, while the wines of the most
famous village, Vosne-Romanée, can cost thousands of dollars
for a single bottle. Often, in a blind tasting,
generalizations of village style can be elusive
in the glass, but this never stops
lovers of Burgundy from making
poetic contrasts. >> In the Côte de Nuits, if
you start from the north, you have wines in the
appellation of Marsannay... (calm orchestral music) You have wine in the
Gevrey-Chambertin... in Chambolle-Musigny. The wine from Chambolle-Musigny,
I should say, are the wine people would
say are more feminine, with lots of fruit, whereas the wines
from Gevrey-Chambertin would be rather more
structured wine, even if they have
very nice dark fruit and, sometimes,
cherry-note characters. The most refined is the
wine from Vosne-Romanée. Vosne-Romanée wines
is usually regarded as the pearl
of the Côtes. (calm orchestral music) >> (narrator)
The Côte de Beaune makes some of the most famous
white wine in the world, but it's actually planted with
more Pinot than Chardonnay. >> The soil in Côte de Beaune
is limestone and clay. On average, you have more
Pinot planted in clay soil and more Chardonnay vines
planted in limestone. >> Usually, Côte de Beaune
is a bit more fruity, more open, more easy
to taste (indistinct) than Côte de Nuits, but
that's not all the times the same way.
(chuckling) >> The main villages
for the red-- you have Volnay,
Pommard, Beaune. For the white are Chassagne,
Puligny, and Meursault. Meursault is creamy--
it's very rich, intense. We say it's
sweet but dry. In Meursault, we
don't have Grand Cru. (orchestral music) There is Grand Cru
in Chassagne and in Puligny
for the white. >> (narrator)
Since 1847, when the village of Gevrey appended its most
famous vineyard to its name, every village boasting
a Grand Cru vineyard has followed suit. Nowhere has this brilliant
marketing been more effective than with the wines of Chassagne-
and Puligny-Montrachet. >> In general, Puligny is more
mineral, more limestone, Chassagne
more sweet, more lush wine
because more clay. >> (narrator)
Wines labeled as Pommard or Volnay are
exclusively red. Not as famous as the top
Pinot Noir of the Côte de Nuits, these wines are often favorites
of experienced Burgundy lovers. (orchestral music) >> Volnay, Pommard is very
nice reputation for the reds. Volnay is a bit more massive,
more structured wine. >> (narrator)
While there are over a dozen village appellations for
red wine in the Côte de Beaune, there's only
one Grand Cru. Corton can produce both
red and white wines at the
Grand Cru level, but wines labeled as
Corton Charlemagne are exclusively white. Along with Bordeaux, Burgundy is one of the
few old world wine regions that relies on the use of new
oak barrels to define its style. Producer philosophy varies
widely, but, in general terms, more expensive wines
are likely to receive increasingly lavish
wood treatment. >> When I start
20 years ago, the people like more
new oak, more rich wine, more structured wine; now the
people have more education, and they like
more elegant wine, and the people use less
and less new oak usually. (playful music box
music) >> (narrator)
South of the Côte de Beaune is the Côte Chalonnaise. (playful music box
music) >> So Côte Chalonnaise--
it's a beautiful region, which is very
bumpy, hilly. The soil in Côte Chalonnaise
is very vibrant. We have big
diversity of soil. It's mainly composed by clay,
producing Pinot Noir, and also limestone,
producing Chardonnay, but we have the
chance to have, also, a lot of iron
components. In a plot like Mercurey
Premier Cru Les Ruelles, the soil is really red,
like blood, and it provides
to the wine a beautiful aging
potential in the bottle. (playful music box
music) >> (narrator)
There are several villages located in the
Côte Chalonnaise famous for unique
styles of wine. (playful music box
music) Bouzeron is known for
being the only AOC producing wines from
the grape Aligote. >> Aligote is a
different grape, producing white wine, different compared
to Chardonnay. And Aligote is producing wine
which is very fruity, crispy, which is perfect
for aperitif, to take a glass before
lunch or dinner. >> (narrator)
Rully produces both red and white wines, but much
of the fruit is destined for Crémant de Bourgogne, the
sparkling wine of Burgundy. >> The grapes which are
allowed in Crémant are Chardonnay and
Pinot Noir, for sure, but also Gamay, but it
will be a white Crémant, but coming from
red grapes. Montagny is made
from Chardonnay grape. It's a beautiful wine,
for example, to have a glass before
dinner also or to match it, I would say,
with scallops. Gevrey is a
beautiful village which is almost like an
amphitheater facing south. Most of the vineyards
are middle of the slope, south-facing
as I told you, and they are able to produce
a very juicy Pinot Noir. It's a beautiful wine to
be able to enjoy young. >> (narrator)
Mercurey is considered the viticultural heart
of the Côte Chalonnaise. With a focus on red wines and
over 30 Premier Cru vineyards, Mercurey produces some of
the most structured wines of southern Burgundy. >> 90% of the vineyards
planted in Mercurey are producing
Pinot Noir and 10% of Chardonnay, and it's
producing very classic Pinot. With Mercurey is the
opportunity of being able to enjoy a beautiful
bottle of wine, representing a superb
quality-price ratio. >> (narrator)
The Côte Chalonnaise offers outstanding value. While there are no
Grand Cru vineyards south of the
Côte de Beaune, lovers of wine as
an everyday drink will be rewarded by exploring
Burgundy's southern reaches. Home to the grape's
namesake village, no part of Burgundy is
more historically linked to Chardonnay than
the Mâconnais. Its six appellations
are dominated by the world's most
famous white grape, and its style can
be thought of as a worthy contrast
to Chablis. The wines are not as
fashionable as decades past, when no wine list was complete
without a Pouilly-Fuissé, but prices of Burgundy's
more northerly wines may spark a revival
for a new generation. (romantic accordion music) >> The Mâconnais area
is very diverse, so if you have the
chance to come and to see the landscape,
you'll see there's more valleys, you have
different weather, and also you have a
difference in altitude, so you can imagine that you
have difference in climate, difference in exposure,
of course. The Mâcon wines are
not only one Mâcon, but they're a family
of diversity of Mâcon. >> (narrator)
Close to 90% of the grapes grown in the Mâcon
are Chardonnay. >> Why we have Chardonnay
grapes here, first of all, is because the soils are
mainly clay and limestone soils, and this is exactly where
the Chardonnay grapes is loving to grow. Here in the Mâconnais, you get
some south weather influence— so that's to say, usually,
summer part of time is rather hot, so that's why the maturity of
the grapes usually is higher. So here,
in particular, in the Pouilly-Fuissé
and in the Mâcon area, we have to pay attention to
the balance of the wines, so that to say the alcohol
level and the acid balance, which is completely different
as the one you can get, for instance, in the Côte de
Beaune, and at the extreme, in the north, that's
to say in Chablis. >> (narrator)
A host of villages may append their name
to the Mâcon appellation, but the region's
best-known wines come from the communes of
Pouilly and Fuissé. >> The thing with
Pouilly-Fuissé— it covers
different villages, which is different than
Puligny-Montrachet, for instance, where
you have one village. Here, you have
different villages that can produce
Pouilly-Fuissé. So from the south
to the north, you have the village
of Chaintre, here we are in Fuissé, then we
have the village of Pouilly, the village of Solutre, and
then the village of Vergisson. So, all these villages, which
represent about, I would say, 1,500 acres, can produce
Pouilly-Fuissé appellations. >> (narrator)
In the far south of Burgundy lies the hillier
region of Beaujolais. Despite growing almost
exclusively Gamay, Beaujolais wines
can be diverse. From simple nouveau wine
to ageworthy expressions from its
10 Crus villages. (breezy mandolin music) >> (narrator)
Burgundy is a region steeped in tradition, but the potential of
a changing climate may force producers to
evolve in the future. >> The main thing
we are wondering is about the
weather condition. What we have noticed is,
over the recent vintage, we were able to catch more
great level of ripeness. >> When we talk about
global warming, yes, it's a little warmer
than we're used to. >> 20, 30 years ago,
we were struggling to get enough
level of ripeness, enough mature fruit
in our wines. >> We used harvest the last
few days of September, beginning
of October. Lately--well, last year,
we actually harvest first, we started
on first October. >> This is positive evolution
in the wine so far, but there
is a limit. If this global warming
keeps on going, then we might fear of
having too hot a vintage. >> (narrator)
The future of Burgundy will be fascinating
to watch. From an uncertain climate
to diverging prices between the most
famous vineyards and lesser known
appellations. But one thing
is clear-- Burgundy, with its singular
focus on benchmark grapes and single vineyard
expression, is the ascendant model for
prestige wine around the world. (smooth orchestral music)
