The world class vineyards of Burgundy, France
“In Burgundy when we talk about climat, we don’t raise our eyes to the sky, but lower them to the ground”, said the well-known author Bernard Pivot explaining to the French that the word climat used for the vineyards of the region derives from the Greek word “klima”, meaning a limited area of land planted with vines.
This term was adopted by the Burgundians in the 16th century and is used exclusively in the vineyards of the region. Other names are clos (enclosures) or parcelles.
Domaine Romanée-Conti, Côte de Nuits, Burgundy.
The clos in all Burgundy are numbered at only 1,248. They are like small gardens and, for this reason, the production of wines is extremely limited. Waiting lists for their acquisition exist all over the world, from China to the United States, from Brazil to England, etc. Some are sold at exorbitant prices because they are unique, like a Rolls-Royce.
During our delightful stay in Burgundy with some friends, we tasted these famous wines at Clos de Vougeot, accompanied by a gastronomic menu, while a sommelier explained to us the qualities of each one.
Clos de Vougeot, Burgundy.
We listened attentively but also sent our thoughts to the Cistercian monks, in whose monastery we were accommodated. In fact, the monastery, the Cîteaux, is located behind the Château de Gilly (where we stayed) and was built by an abbot in the Renaissance era to host official visitors.
Clos Prieur, Château de Gilly, Burgundy.
The monks were the first winegrowers in the area when in the Middle Ages (1109) they were granted the land of Vougeot. Their cellars were in Clos Prieur, where we had our dinners at the Château de Gilly. As time passed, they began to trade the wine to the nearby town of Dijon to the north, and Beaune to the south, or to landlords and innkeepers of the surrounding area.
Pinot Noir grape variety, Burgundy.
Philip the Good, Duke of Burgundy, introduced in the 15th century the Pinot Noir grape, which has remained the only variety to this day, and this grape provided the miracle! The red wines of this blessed region are only from the Pinot Noir variety. In 1791, after the French Revolution, the monks were forced to leave the Clos de Vougeot, which was confiscated and distributed to winegrowers whose oenological practices and traditions were passed down from generation to generation.
Today, it is divided into 100 climats or parcelles, demarcated by stone walls. The lonely castle (built during the Renaissance) dominates this ocean of vines with its ancient, medieval, and highly impressive presses, which we were happy to tour before our lunch.
And here is an astonishing story.
One evening in 1934, two dynamic young men from the neighbouring village of Nuits-Saint-Georges got together with friends in a wine cellar. The wine trade had collapsed due to the economic crisis before World War II. Looking around them, a brilliant thought came to their minds: “Wines of a quality such as ours are a cause for joy and optimism. So enough moaning! Since our cellars are full to the brim, and no one buys wine, let us empty them – and we can invite our friends to help us!”
Chevaliers de Tastevin, Clos de Vougeot, Burgundy.
Thus, the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, an exclusive Bacchanalian fraternity of Burgundy, was created by wine connoisseurs. The aim was to revive not only the wines but also the traditional cuisine and hospitality, folklore feasts, and old songs.
Today, with 12,000 Chevaliers around the world, the Confrérie is committed to defending the reputation of Burgundy. In 1939 it established its first Commanderie in the United States and today, there are Commanderies on all five continents with so many local sub-branches where the Chevaliers du Tastevin meet regularly to celebrate the great wines of Burgundy.
And one detail: in 1944 the founding members of the Confrérie bought the Château de Clos Vougeot, making it their headquarters, and then began its renovation.
In the Côte de Nuits (it doesn’t mean night, but derives from the Latin word nux-nucis which means nut), north, south and within a distance of a few kilometres from Clos de Vougeot, are demarcated other small climats or parcelles with legendary names: Gevrey-Chambertin, Chambolle-Musigny, Vosne-Romanée, Nuits-Saint-Georges.
Gevrey-Chambertin vineyards, Burgundy.
They embrace the homonymous, medieval, charming villages with their pointed belltowers, and produce the great red wines of Burgundy, called Grands Crus, created, as I mentioned earlier, only from the Pinot Noir grape. The Grands Crus in all of Burgundy (red and white) are only thirty-three. So few and so sought after.
Further south, we reached the Côte de Beaune, on the outskirts of the town of Beaune. Here, dry, white wines are produced, which are also limited. The grape variety is exclusively the Chardonnay.
Map of the vineyards in Burgundy.
On the map, we see the area as we slowly descend south. Oh! Aloxe Corton, and especially Corton de Charlemagne on the opposite slope, is unique and beautiful with its treasured, lilliputian climats. One hectare was recently sold for 20 million euros!
Vineyards south of Beaune, Burgundy.
But let us dwell for a moment on Beaune. Since ancient times it has been the capital of the Burgundy wines. We visited the town to browse its charming streets, full of boutiques with all kinds of delicacies.
And of course, we entered the Hôtel-Dieu, the hospital with the impressive colourful tiled roofs, which the wealthy Chancellor of the Duke of Burgundy, Nicolas Rolin, founded in 1443 for the local impoverished people, and not only. Wealthy people were also cured by the nuns, all of them looking from their beds at the Holy Altar and drinking wine instead of water, because water was not so clean in the Middle Ages.
La Cour des Hospices (Hôtel-Dieu) in Beaune, Burgundy.
The whole of Beaune is dug with tunnel cellars to store the wines of the merchants, reaching an area of up to five kilometres. A unique sight.
South of Beaune, there are vineyards that produce dry, white wines, where the Chardonnay grape variety is always the king. We penetrated the legendary triangle surrounded by villages, which delight the lovers of the Burgundy wines. To the north is Meursault, while to the south is Santenay, where we enjoyed a picnic at the Château de la Crée, a hidden treasure in the Côte d’Or region and, lastly, Chagny, close to the historic Château de Germolles, whose owner showed us around his estate.
It is the best-preserved residence of the Dukes of Burgundy built in the second part of the 14th century; a rare example of such a well-preserved residence in France when most of the ducal castles of that period have almost entirely disappeared.
The author in the gardens of the Château de Germolles, Burgundy.
In the middle of this oblong triangle are the climats of Montrachet, the élite of the finest white, dry wines, about which Alexandre Dumas is credited as saying that “one should drink them on his knees and with his hat raised”.
The thirty-three Grands Crus wines are sold at exceptionally high prices. But there are many winegrowers whose production is reasonably priced, of course always high compared to other wines of the world.
Picnic at the Château de la Crée, Burgundy.
How do we traverse the vineyards?
Route des Grands Crus, Burgundy.
There is the famous Route des Grands Crus, which the Mayor of Dijon had the brilliant idea to open in 1937 to develop wine tourism. It is 60 kilometres long and only 2 meters wide, starting north from the city of Dijon, reaching Beaune, and ending south in Santenay. All the vineyards along the route are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.
We followed it.
It is the most emblematic road, the soul of Burgundy, which wanders through delightful slopes where vines are grown, the result of a millennium of continuous work, but also a demonstration of the alchemy between man and nature.
Landscape in Burgundy.
It crosses a mosaic of fascinating clos, each unique in its relief, its exposure to the sun, and its geology.
After all, it is no wonder that this awesome, whole vineyard which is Burgundy, produces the greatest wines in the world!
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