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Understanding Burgundy


To understand the Burgundy ranking system lets start with Chablis. Chablis is split into three levels:


Appelation Chablis
Premier cru Chablis
Grand Cru Chablis
For the premier and grand cru there are certain fields with such a ranking and on each of these different fields you will find different producers, i.e the same premier cru field can have two or more different producers! For the appelation Chablis the grapes comes from all over Chablis and there are many different producers.

In Burgundy, they make red wine from Pinot Noir and white wine from Chardonnay. In Burgundy there are many small towns (like Chablis) with the same three different levels as in Chablis and with different fields with different producers. The 50 hectares of Clos de Vougeot has for example 80 different owners!

The best and most expensive wine is the grand cru, the second best is the premier cru and the third best is the appelation. If a wine does not carry the name of a village, it may come from anywhere in Burgundy and is often of lesser quality (but good ones exist!)

So in Burgundy you will fine good red wine just north of Beaune from places like;
Gevrey- Chambertin, Chambolle-Musigny, Vougeot, Vosne-Romanee, Nuits St George, Pernad-Vergelesses and  Savigny les Beaune.  Beaune itself is also a good red wine village and just to the south you will find the more heavy Pommard and elegant Volnay.

For white wine, you will have to look south of Beaune;
Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, St Aubin and Chassagne Montrachet

See link to a very good map
 
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