A Beginner’s Guide to White Burgundy

Chardonnay is, without question, the most popular white grape variety in the world. Wine lovers thrill to its versatility, while its ability to yield wines that range in style from focused, steely and linear to opulent, creamy and richly oaked, is part of the grape’s charm. It might seem strange, then, that the region considered Chardonnay’s heartland, never labels its wines with the name of the grape.

Like most classic regions in France (Alsace being the rare exception), Burgundy doesn’t use the name of the grape on its labels. Instead, wine lovers are expected to understand that the white wines made in dozens of appellations in a region that stretches for more than 200 kilometres from Chablis in the north to the Fuissé in the south are, with very few exceptions, all made from the Chardonnay grape.

And while such a rule sounds simple enough, it is in fact just the first sign that gaining a deep understanding of the white wines of Burgundy can be a complex process – as one might expect from a region whose heritage takes in such historical reference points as the 8th-century Roman emperor Charlemagne. That said, coming to appreciate the nuances between a Corton-Charlemagne and a Chassagne-Montrachet will bring to life a region whose white wines are arguably the world’s greatest.

A good starting point – geographically, at least – is to break the wider region up into four more manageable chunks. Chablis is the northernmost sub-region of Burgundy, lying approximately halfway between Paris and Dijon, the capital of Burgundy. The cool climate that prevails in Chablis, and its fossil-flecked limestone soils, help to produce taut, focused wines that are often described as being steely.

The epicentre of Burgundy’s wine production, however – from a quality perspective, at least – is the Côte d’Or, a narrow strip of vineyard that runs south of Dijon down to Beaune, then veers in a south-westerly direction towards the border with Saône-et-Loire. The Côte d’Or can be further divided between the northern section – the bit situated between Dijon and Beaune – which is known as the Côte de Nuits, and the southern section, the Côte de Beaune. Although some white wines are produced in the Côte de Nuits, it’s the Côte de Beaune that is the source of some of the most highly regarded white wines in the world.

The key appellations here are Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet and Meursault. The styles of wines produced in each appellation vary from one producer to the next, but a typical Puligny-Montrachet, such as that produced by Etienne Sauzet, for example, is precise and chiselled in style, while Domaine de Montille’s Meursaults show the generosity and richness that are the hallmark of the appellation. In this instance, Chassagne-Montrachet acts as the Côte’s Goldilocks, typically harnessing a character that lies somewhere between Puligny’s nervosity and Meursault’s opulence.

Head further southwards, and the Côte de Beaune segues smoothly into the Côte Chalonnaise, an appellation that was once considered to be a bit-part player in the context of high-quality wines, but which is now proving itself to be a source of good-value Chardonnays. The wines of Rully’s Domaine de la Folie provide a great example of this sub-region’s bright-fruit character and lively levels of acidity. 

(It's also worth noting that the Côte Chalonnaise is the prime source of Burgundy’s other white grape, Aligoté. Once considered to be only fit for tempering with crème de cassis to create a kir, France’s best-known apéritif, in the hands of producers like A&P de Villaine and Domaine Roulot, Aligoté is now a grape that’s turning heads for all the right reasons, thanks to its ability to retain its vibrant character – and offer a more accessible pricepoint into the region) even in the warmest of vintages.)

The most southerly of Burgundy’s sub-regions is the Mâconnais, source of yet more good-value Chardonnay (check out the Mâcon Bussières of Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon), as well as bottlings that bat well above the modest weight of their price tags, such as the same producer’s Pouilly-Fuissé. Typically, the wines of the Mâconnais have a generosity and ripe-fruit character that reflects the warmth of their sunny southern terroir.

That of Chablis lies slightly outside the Burgundian norm, kicking off at the entry level with Petit Chablis – simple, fruit-driven wines largely drawn from various vineyards on the plateaus furthest from the village of Chablis itself, that are suitable for everyday drinking, but not long-term ageing. Wines labelled as Chablis hail from the hillsides closer to the village, and, in the hands of a producer such as Moreau-Naudet, typically show more concentration of stony, citrus-tinged fruit on the palate. Then you have the top of the pyramid – the region’s Premier and Grand Cru wines, drawn from specific sites that are graded by the quality of their terroir. Wines such as Vincent Dauvissat’s 1er Cru Vaillons or Domaine Francois Raveneau’s Grand Cru Blanchots not only show the steely focus typical of the region’s best wines, they also age wonderfully well, unwinding over time to reveal layers of smoky, honeyed richness.

The same four-tier hierarchy governs the quality system of the white wines in the rest of Burgundy too. The entry-level wines – again, simpler, fruit-driven bottlings designed for youthful consumption – are labelled as AOP Bourgogne Blanc. The grapes for these can be sourced widely across the greater Burgundian region, and typically come from the level plains that stretch out beneath the hills on whose slopes Village, Premier and Grand Cru vineyards are situated. What the often unoaked or lightly oaked Bourgogne Blancs lack in terms of a sense of place, they make up for in terms of sheer drinkability and juicy, fruit-forward character.

Most of the wines of the Mâconnais and the Côte Chalonnaise are Village-level wines, which is to say that their labels bear the names of the communes in which the grapes are grown, and they can be drawn from a range of sites within this commune. For those on a budget, it’s worth looking out for great-value wines from some of the better sub-regions of the Maconnais. Pouilly-Fuissé is a notable example, within which Pouilly-Vinzelles and Pouilly-Loché were recently rewarded with Premier Cru status, denoting wines from a particular vineyard that shows a distinctive personality along with, typically, more concentration and complexity than Village-level wines.

The quality hierarchy in the Côte de Beaune also features Village and Premier Cru wines. Village wines typically have more concentration and complexity than Bourgogne Blancs and are approachable within a year or two of bottling, seamlessly blending subtle fruit with a hint of oak (the amount of oak used varies widely, depending on the tastes of individual producers). Premier Cru wines, from a specific, designated vineyard, tend to show even more mid-palate weight and textural richness, and it may take a bit of time for spicy oak to meld seamlessly with the rich, concentrated fruit characters. You should probably give these bottles a good three or four years to settle into themselves before you broach them, but they will often continue to age well for a decade or more, gaining layers of complexity as they do. 

The Côte also features a series of Grand Cru vineyards, the crème de la crème of white Burgundy. These are often situated mid-slope, often next to Premier Cru vineyards, in spots where the amount of topsoil is sufficiently deep to feed the vines’ roots, without being so rich as to encourage the vines to over-produce. These sites are home to highly acclaimed wines of impressive concentration, depth and longevity – think Bonneau du Martray’s Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru or Domaine du Comte Lafon’s Montrachet Grand Cru. These are wines that may take a decade or more to unfurl in the bottle, but aged under the right conditions – cool temperatures of around 12°C and plenty of humidity to ensure the corks retain their turgidity – they will repay careful cellaring by developing an exuberant, astonishing depth of flavour that combines notes of honey, mushrooms and spiced dried fruits.

While there are broad rules of thumb for the ageability of these wines, such longevity – and their inherent quality – depend to a great extent on both the hand of the man (or woman) who makes them and on vintage character. Typically, cooler, rainier years produce wines with lower levels of alcohol and higher levels of acidity, and in the hands of less talented or exacting producers, these vintages often lack fruit on the mid-palate. Really hot, dry years – of which there have been more than a few in the past decade – can create clumsy wines whose low acidity levels result in a lack of focus on the palate, and high levels of alcohol can create a warming sensation on the finish. Again, what you’re looking for in such vintages are wines from talented producers who can create balanced wines, even in the most trying of conditions. The best wines are made in vintages that walk the fine line between coolness and warmth, resulting in the creation of Chardonnays that are both elegant and precise, the epitome of Burgundian white wines.

If the idea of navigating Burgundy’s complex landscape sounds daunting, the best advice is to dip a toe in the water via a case of wines at all levels, with a focus on the mid-range, Village level to compare and contrast different appellations. Such an exercise doesn’t require a dedicated storage facility – just keep the wines in a cool, dark place and pop them in the fridge for 24 hours before serving (ideally then taking them out of the fridge 30 minutes beforehand, so that they are not too cool, thereby allowing the full range of flavours to flood out).

 It is worth noting also that top producers often make wines across the quality spectrum (including via the negociant model of buying in, rather than cultivating, grapes), allowing for newcomers to get to know the various appellations before stepping up to cru level. And should you require a further helping hand to guide you towards the perfect entry point for your tastes and budget, needless to say that our expert team will be only too happy to point you in the right direction… 

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