Vineyard of Burgundy

The vineyard of Burgundy is with the Of Bordeaux one and the Champagne one of the most prestigious vineyard of France and of the world with five names of controlled origins (AOC): 32 names great wines, 562 names first believed, 44 communal names or villages and 23 regional names and semi regional. The Burgundian vineyard extends on 250 km length from north from Windfallen wood in the south from Mâconnais. The Burgundy produces red wines, containing Cépage S black Pinot and of Gamay and of the white wines, containing Cépage S chardonnay and Aligoté. On close to 25 800 hectares, on average 1&thinsp is produced; 500 000 hectolitres of wine.

History

One does not know today precisely who introduced the first plantations of vine in Burgundy. It is known on the other hand, that the vineyard of Burgundy existed during second half of our era. The Romans found plantations when they occupied the Gaulle and the writers Columelle and Strabon speak about it.

The edict of the emperor Domitien (Roman Emperor) in 92 expresses Roman protectionism. It prohibited the plantation of news Vigne S out of Italy and it made partially tear off the vines in the South and in Burgundy in order to avoid competition. The resulting vineyard is enough with the local needs.

In 312, Eumène writes the first description of the vineyard beaunois.

Very early already the choice of the best soils takes shape. The nobility of the big city of Autun has its wines around Beaune and Dijon and famous Gregoire de Tours at the 6th century the covered coast of vine close to Dijon.

At the beginning of the 6th century, the establishment of Christianity supports the extension of the vine by the creation of important fields attached to the Abbaye S. In these warlike times, the religious communities profit from a protection which will make it possible to transmit the experiment from generation to generation.

Among the most important abbeys, one will quote:

Abbey of Cluny for the Mâconnais and the Chalonnais
Abbey of Cîteaux with plantations in Coast of Gold, chalonnais and chablisien.

It is the period of the birth of the fields. The closed of Bèze will be founded into 640, the closed of VOUGEOT in 1115 and the Clos of Tart in 1140.

As from 1128, the cistercians of the Abbaye of Pontigny (the second girl of Cîteaux) continued to develop the Vignoble of Windfallen wood.

During the the Middle Ages, the wines were reproduced in good place on the table of the lords. With the S, the Valois dynasty of the Dukes of Burgundy reign on art and taste in most of Europe. Philippe II of Burgundy, known as Philippe Bold the , receives Flandres by its marriage with Marguerite III of Flanders. It thus inaugurates a matrimonial policy already outlined by its predecessor Philippe de Rouvre, policy whom his successors will continue and who constitutes in a few decades the Burgundian State.

In the year 1395, Philippe the Bold one decided to improve quality of the wines and prohibits the culture of the Gamay to the profit of the black pinot in his grounds. It is the first food decree in the world, precursor of the labels of origin controlled (AOC) and introduced well before the German Reinheitsgebot defining the ingredients authorized into the mixing of the Bière in Germany.

Jean without Fear, Philippe III of Burgundy (known as Philippe the Good ) and Charles Bold the live in Antwerp, Bruges, Brussels, Ghent, Liege or Malignant but they draw much from profit of their vineyards.

Nicolas Rolin, chancellor of Philippe the Good and his wife Saline Guigone decide to create a hospital for the poor but hesitate one moment over the place between Autun or Beaune. This last city is selected from its and absence crossing point of large religious foundation. Thus the August 4th 1443 is born the Hôtel-Dieu on paper. The Old people's homes of Beaune are owners of a Burgundian wine field thanks to gifts and rich person Burgundian lords heritages of the Moyen-âge since 1471 and at five centuries of management of the inheritance.

Following the decline of the time of the dukes of Burgundy, the first commercial firms, trader-stockbreeders appear. In 1720, the mark Champy at summer launched.

In 1874, the arrival of an insect come from America, the Phylloxéra, put at evil the vineyard. Was discovered for the first time at Meursault on July 17th, 1878 with the locality the Young elm will phylloxéra, then on July 23rd, 1878 with the botanical garden of Dijon. The contaminations went back to 1876 for Meursault and 1877 for Dijon.

The American vines were introduced in fraud as from 1885 and officially from the 12. July 1887. It was necessary to tear off all the vines and to replant them. After long research, one ends up discovering that only the grafting would make it possible the vine to push in the presence of will phylloxéra. The Mildiou caused a considerable disaster in 1910 with important social consequences.

It is only the day before the First World War that the Burgundian vineyard took again its rise. During the Second world war, the lack of labor and pesticides (whose Cuivre in particular which is the active ingredient of the Bouillie of Bordeaux and the Burgundian pulp) a new fall of the production involved.

Climate

The vineyard of Burgundy profits in its globality from a semi-continental climate. It is subjected to three dominant influences:

a Rhone-native predominance in the south-eastern part.
a Vosgean climate with the North-East and
a climate of Gironde to the extreme is.

For the town of Dijon (316m) the climatic values are:

The winters are very cold on the high hills of the Châtillonais, the Auxois and the Morvan. The valley of the the Saone and the valleys sheltered have a soft and moderate temperature. The frosts are sometimes frightening and decrease harvest as in 1902,1921,1930 and 1945.

The days of rain were rather also left again over the year with a maximum in autumn and a minimum in summer. The influence of the relief exploits the geographical distribution of the rains. The Hinterlands form a screen with the vineyard, which receives less water.

Thus the orientation of the vineyard plays a big role. The southern and south-eastern exposures are privileged. The establishment is generally done on the slopes with the shelter of the dominant winds coming from south-west (249 jours/an).

With the septentrional situation of the vineyard, the notion of the Millésime is important.

Encépagement

The type of vines most generally cultivated are in red the black pinot and the gamay and in white the chardonnay

Black type of vines

The black Pinot is the principal black type of vine of Burgundy. It is probably originating in this area and it was undoubtedly already cultivated by the Gallic ones before the conquest of Gaulle by the Romans. The best wines of pinot are obtained in the grounds limestones and under moderate climates. The acid and argillaceous grounds produce common wines. It is known universally like a type of vine inconstant and problematic and the selection on the spot probably explains its good adaptation to the conditions of Burgundy. Its débourrement early makes it sensitive to cold from spring. By consequence, it should not be planted in plain or bottom of the slopes. It benefits fully from the vegetative cycle to mature in first time. The wines are covered with a dress of a beautiful not very intense color. They are fairly tannic and they titrate naturally between 10 and 12 ° alcohol. Certain sumptuous and velvety red wines are of a great fame universally known. They lend themselves to a guard from 5 to 12 years, sometimes more. Their aptitude for ageing varies according to the years and from the vineyard of origin.

The Gamay is also very present in Burgundy. It is the exclusive type of vine of the red Beaujolais wines. The best wines of gamay are obtained contrary to the black pinot on acid and granitic grounds. Its débourrement early makes it also sensitive to cold from spring. It has the advantage of producing a small harvest on the against-buds. The wine of gamay has a beautiful moderate red color of purple. It is low in tannins and it reveals a good acidity. It is liberally fruity, accessible and easy to drink. It also produces of Burgundy Pass-all-grains in assembly with the black pinot.

The gray Pinot, called pinot beurot locally, appeared in the old vineyards Burgundian for one fifteenth in one twentieth in the encépagement red one. They give fine wines which have a beautiful yellow color gilded and pleasant flavors

White type of vines

The Chardonnay, very multiplied in France and throughout the world gives wines of high-quality in Burgundy. It strips a little after the black pinot what makes it also sensitive to cold spring. Chardonnay is rather vigorous and of the tests carried out in Burgundy showed that the quality of the wines decreased beyond an output of 70 hl/ha. In the short face, its output does not even exceed the 30 hl/ha. In Burgundy, it gives dry white high-class wines, which are generally high out of barrels of oak. They evolve/move in wood after the malolactic Fermentation. Its wines are fairly aromatic in their youth and gain with an ageing from 2 to 4 years. In Chablis the wines are dominated by mineral and the stone. They have a high acidity. In the Coast of Beaune, the wines consistent, rich, crémeux with flavors of are smoked and dry and exotic fruits. In Mâconnais, they are light, sharp and refreshing with floral flavors.

The Aligoté is a type of vine vigorous and productive and an analysis DNA raised that its parentage is identical to the chardonnay; of is a natural crossing of the white Gouais with the black pinot. It gives wines light, a little acid and fresh. They are low in tannins and little scented. The wines are with being drunk young person and it is often consumed mixes some with Crème of blackcurrant to obtain the Kir. With Bouzeron, it benefits from a communal name. Elsewhere it is marketed in regional name Burgundy Aligoté.

The melon is an old Burgundian type of vine little used in its area of origin. It strips early and it is frequently reached by late frosts. However its secondary buds are fertile and make it possible to obtain part of primary harvest. Today it is rather known under the name of Muscadet. In Burgundy it is still planted with Vézelay and it is used for white Mâcon names and Creaming of Burgundy.

Geography

In a geographical approach, the Burgundian vineyard consists of four production zones:

vineyards of Yonne
vineyards of the Gold Coast
vineyards of the Coast Chalonnaise
vineyards of Mâconnais

Some famous burgundies (of north in the south):

Vineyards of Yonne

The vineyard of Yonne is consisted the vineyards chablisiens, the Auxerre-native vineyard, the vineyard vézelien and the Tonnerrois vineyard.

Vineyards of Windfallen wood

Vineyard of Windfallen wood

Vineyards of Coast-in Auxerre

Vineyards of Vézelien

Vineyard of Vézelay

Vineyards of Tonnerrois

Vineyard of Epineuil and Thunder

Vineyards of the Gold Coast

Vineyards of the Coasts of Nights

Vineyard of Marsannay-the-Coast, set out again on the villages of Marsannay-the-Coast, Chenove and Couchey. The vineyard recovers 183 hectares (2005) set out again into 20% of rosy, 15% of white and 65% of red.
Vineyard of Fixin, not having a very famous Great wine but some first believed. The surface of the vineyard is rather weak. The communal AOC Fixin primarily covers 107 hectares in red for which it is necessary to add the 45,3 hectares of the first vintages such as Close-Napoleon, the Stone quarry, Hervelets, Arvelets or the Field of the Chapter.
Vineyard of Gevrey-Chambertin, which constitutes the communal name most important in volume and which has all the hierarchy of names bourgignons. Only red wines. The fame comes from the great wines Chambertin, Chambertin Clos of Bèze, Vault-Chambertin, Charms-Chambertin, Morello cherries-Chambertin, Latricières-Chambertin, Mazis-Chambertin, Mazoyères-Chambertin and Ruchottes-Chambertin. They are 9 and they are powerful, framed, rich in matter. The wines collected on the commune of Brochon are also marketed under the name of Gevrey-Chambertin.
Vineyard of Morey-Saint-Denis, who constitutes with a little more than 100 hectares one of smallest communal names of the Coast of Nights. The 5 Large vintages of the commune (only in red) are Close-of-Tart, Close-Saint-Denis, Clos Rock, Clos of Lambrays and part of the Good Ponds. One also produced an minor amount of white wines there.
Vineyard of Chambolle-Musigny
Vineyard of VOUGEOT
Vineyard of CLOS VOUGEOT (Castle of Closed of VOUGEOT)
Vineyard of Flagey-Échezaux
Vineyard of Échezeaux
Vineyard of Vosne-Romanée
Vineyard of Romanée
Vineyard of Nuits-Saint-Georges
Vineyard of Coast-of-Nights Villages
Vineyard of the Good Ponds

Vineyards of the Coasts of Beaune

Vineyard of Aloxe-Corton
Vineyard of Auxey-Duresses
Vineyard of Beaune (Old people's homes of Beaune)
Vineyard of Blagny
Vineyard of Chassagne-Montrachet
Vineyard of Knight-Montrachet
Vineyard of Chorey-the-Beaune
Vineyard of Corton
Vineyard of the Coasts of Beaune
Vineyard of Ladoix
Vineyard of Maranges
Vineyard of Meursault
Vineyard of Monthélie
Vineyard of Montrachet
Vineyard of Pernand-Vergelesses
Vineyard of Pommard, the most known name of 325 hectares abroad probably because of the facility of pronunciation.
Vineyard of Puligny-Montrachet
Vineyard of Saint-Aubin
Vineyard of Saint-Romain
Vineyard of Santenay
Vineyard of Savigny-the-Beaune
Vineyard of Volnay, a name of 222 hectares offering of the light wines.

Vineyards of the Coast-Chalonnaise

Vineyard of Bouzeron
Vineyard of Givry
Vineyard of Mercurey
Vineyard of Montagny
Vineyard of Rully

Vineyards of Mâconnais

Vineyards of the Beaujolais wine

Administratively, the Vins of the Beaujolais wine are attached to the vineyard of Burgundy (judgment of the April 29th 1930 of the civil court of Dijon). Nevertheless, they form a category well with share, and are treated in a specific article.

The hierarchy of appellation contr4ol3ees AOC of Burgundy

With more than one hundred names and an innumerable quantity of climates, the comprehension of Burgundy is complex. Names are organized according to a rather simple diagram.

A first delimitation of Burgundy was tried in 1919. The law of the May 6th 1919 entrusts the delimitation of the zones of label of origin to the courts. They are also charged to define the uses of them. It is a failure: all the die is found in front of the courts and the procedures are long and often hazardous.

The wine sector not ceasing being inserted in the crisis, INAO is created by the Décret-loi July 30th 1935. It combines at the same time the administrative, legal and professional aspects. The product registered with the INAO must profit from characteristic particular inherited natural and human factors . This law provides that the recognition of the AOC and their regulation are entrusted to a public corporation, the INAO, which has a capacity of proposal near the ministries. This Order in Council of 1935 is fundamental, because it protects not only the name from the product, but also its characteristics and its strong bond with a delimited soil, contrary to the labels which confirm only the know-how of the producer.

The decrees led to characterize in Burgundy 6 types of name:

regional names AOC: 54,5% of the production with 23 regional AOC. They constitute the basic level of the hierarchy.

the regional names of credits type, collected in the 4 departments of wine Burgundy (Yonnne, Coast-at Or, the Saône-et-Loire and the zone of Beaujolais wine in the Rhone). One counts there names Burgundy, ordinary Burgundy large, Burgundy Pass-all-grains, Burgundy white grape, Burgundy sparkling and Creaming of Burgundy.
more restrictive regional names which are often called sous-régionales interesting only one area like Mâconnais, the Beaujolais wine, Beaujolais-Villages,

communal names or villages AOC: 34% of the production with 44 names village. It is the name of the commune, which is used as denomination with name. One differentiates:

inter-commune names, which bear the name of the most famous commune and which often includes/understands two communes, sometimes more 3 to 5 communes. One counts there Gevrey-Chambertin names, Santenay, Chassagne-Montrachet, Chenas, Mill-with-Wind, Mercurey, Côte of Brouilly, Montagny, Côte of Night-Villages, Côte of Beaune-Villages…

names first believed AOC: 10% of the production with the first 562 vintages. For certain communal names, the localities particularly favorable to the culture of vine are distinguished by the Premier mention Believed.
names Great wines AOC: 1,5% of the production with 32 great wines. The famous one of the localities is such, that the reference to the commune becomes useless. Contrary, the communes often associated the name of a great wine to their name. This is why many communes have a double name. (Gevrey-Chambertin, Vosne-Romanée, Chassagne-Montrachet…) The Great wines of Burgundy reach high prices.

See too

Road of the Great wines
Castle of Closed of VOUGEOT
Brotherhood of the Knights of Tastevin
Old people's homes of Beaune
Sale of the old people's homes of Beaune

Some photographs

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