What is the size of the Burgundy wine areas ?

Burgundy represents only 0,6% of the total wine areas of the world: 

• Chablis : 6 100 ha (15 000 acres) 
• Côte de Nuits : 3 300 ha ( 8 100 acres) 
• Côte de Beaune : 6 600 ha ( 16 100 acres) 
• Côte Chalonnaise : 4 700 ha (11 600 acres) 
• Mâconnais : 5 700 ha (14 000 acres) 
• Beaujolais : 22 700 ha (56 000 acres) 
• 
  

• 1 300 000 hectoliters of Beaujolais 
•    940 000 hectoliters of white Burgundy (all appellations) 
•    540 000 hectoliters of red Burgundy (all appellations) 

How many people produce wine in Burgundy ?

About 30 000 in Burgundy.
There are roughly 5 600 domains in Burgundy. 
 

What is the average size of an estate in Côte d'Or ?

Barely 6,35 hectares (15 acres).(Joseph DROUHIN owns 72 ha). 
 

How many owners are there per appellation ?

The Montrachet covers about 8 ha for 14 owners, the Romanée Conti (1,8 ha) is a monopoly, and the Clos de Vougeot, the largest Grand Cru (50 ha) is divided into 80 properties ! 
 

What type of soil is there in Burgundy ?
 

• Chablis : calcareous limestone (Kimmeridge) 
• Côte de Nuits : argilo-calcareous marls 
• Côte de Beaune : argilo-calcareous marls 
• Côte Chalonnaise : argilo-calcareous marls 
• Mâconnais : argilo-calcareous marls 
• Beaujolais : granitic sands 

Burgundy is a region of single specific grape varieties chosen to suit the "Climat". In Burgundy, the grape variety is only a tool : we do not look to bring out the grape's individual characteristics, but to extract the quintessential nature of this "Climat". We have three major grape varieties : 
 

• Chardonnay for white wines, 
• Pinot Noir for reds 
• Gamay for Beaujolais (red). 

• Chablis region : Chardonnay 
• Côte de Beaune : Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
• Côte de Nuits : Pinot Noir 
• Côte Chalonnaise : Chardonnay and Pinot Noir 
• Mâconnais : Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Gamay 
• Beaujolais : Gamay 

 

Each time Burgundy produces one bottle of red wine, Bordeaux produces nine. For white wines, the ratio is one for two. Furthermore, Grand Crus in Burgundy only represent 3% of the total production! In a year, the prestigious Château d'Yquem may produce around 8.000 cases whereas the Marquis de Laguiche (the largest Montrachet vineyard owner) will only produce 700 cases. 

Moreover, the difference between Bordeaux and Burgundy is that in Burgundy what counts is the subtlety of a single grape variety from a multiplicity of soils, whereas in Bordeaux it is the subtlety of a blending of several grapes from a single terroir. 
 

What is a "climat" ?

Burgundy prefers the notion of "CLIMAT" as against "GRAPE VARIETY" or "REGION". 

The geology of the Côte has created an important variety of sites due to the nature of soil, subsoil, exposure and micro-climate. 

The Burgundians have capitalized on this variety for more than a thousand years, thereby achieving perfect balance. 
 

What is an A.O.C ?

What are the quality factors of a great wine ? 
 

• The origin (soil) 
• The grape-variety 
• Weather (the climate) 
• Man. 

1. A.O.C Burgundy : the vineyards down in the valley are planted on deep soils with more humidity. They are wines with little character from the soil with quality varying according to grape varietal and growers' expertise. 

2. Communal A.O.C : the soil is shallow and better drained. The type of soil obviously affects the style of wine produced. 

 3. A.O.C Grand Crus and Premier Crus : the ideal balance. The rock at surface level gives different characteristics from parcel to parcel. Excellent drainage. The notion of "Climat" is most relevant here. 

 4. Communal A.O.C : stony soil. Wines are good but do not have the complexity nor the power of the Premier Crus 

 5. Vineyards located on the hilltop : the soil is very poor and has less favorable exposure because of the greater height. Wines produced here (on the edge of the Hautes Côtes) are thin and succeed only in great vintages. 
 

What is the difference between a Côte de Beaune Villages and a Côte de Beaune ?
 

• Côte de Beaune Villages is a blending of villages from the villages of the Côte de Beaune, except Beaune, Pommard, Volnay and Aloxe-Corton. All other villages like Chorey-les-Beaune, Auxey-Duresses, can be blended in this appellation. 

• Côte de Beaune : The wines from the Beaune village only can be sold either as Beaune, Côte de Beaune, or Burgundy. Beaune as well as a few other famous villages has no right to be sold under Côte de Beaune villages. The quality of Côte de Beaune (in our case a kind of second wine of the Beaune Clos des Mouches) is far superior to that of Côte de Beaune Villages because of its restricted and famous origin. 

• Chablis has a continental climate (cold in winter). 

• The Côte d'Or and Côte Chalonnaise have a temperate climate, modified by the relief of the slopes. 

• The Mâconnais and Beaujolais have a more southerly climate due to the influence of the Rhône valley but modified by the Beaujolais hills.