One Percent: Reading Burgundy From the Top Down
Burgundy's famous Grand Crus are a sliver of what the region makes. Understanding the pyramid beneath them is the key to drinking it well.
Photograph: Aurelier · House photography
Few wine regions are discussed as reverently as Burgundy, and few are as easy to misunderstand. The names that appear on the great restaurant lists — Chambertin, Musigny, Montrachet — are real, and the wines can be extraordinary. But they are only the very top of a pyramid, and most of the pleasure of Burgundy lies further down.
The shape of the pyramid
Burgundy classifies its wines by place, not by producer. At the base sit the regional appellations — wines labelled simply Bourgogne. Above them come the village wines, named after a commune such as Gevrey-Chambertin or Meursault. Higher again are the Premier Crus, specific vineyard sites within those villages. At the summit are the Grand Crus, a handful of vineyards considered the finest of all.
The proportions are striking. According to figures published by SOMM TV Magazine, regional wines account for about 52% of Burgundy's production and village wines about 37%. Premier Crus make up roughly 10%, spread across some 640 named sites, or climats. The 33 Grand Crus of the Côte d'Or account for about 1%.
In other words, if you have drunk a bottle of Burgundy, the odds are good that it was a regional or village wine — and there is no shame in that at all.
Why place matters so much
The logic of the pyramid is that site shapes the wine. Two vineyards a few hundred metres apart, worked by the same grower in the same way, can produce noticeably different wines because of slope, exposure, soil and drainage. Burgundy is the region where that idea has been observed most patiently, over centuries, and written most firmly into the label.
It is also why the same grape — Pinot Noir for reds, Chardonnay for whites — can seem so varied across the region. A village wine from Vosne-Romanée and one from Pommard are both red Burgundy, but they rarely taste alike.
Drinking the pyramid well
- Start with good producers at the lower levels. A careful grower's Bourgogne or village wine often shows the house style for a fraction of the price of their top sites.
- Look for Premier Crus from less celebrated villages. The Côte Chalonnaise and the lesser-known communes of the Côte de Beaune can offer real character and value.
- Treat Grand Crus as occasions. They usually need time in bottle, and opening them too young can be disappointing.
In Burgundy, the label tells you where the wine was grown. The producer tells you how well.
A note for those studying
If you are working towards an exam, Burgundy rewards structured revision. Learn the levels of the hierarchy, a few anchor villages for red and white, and the reasons site matters. Then practise explaining why a wine from one place might taste different from another. That habit of explanation, rather than memorised lists, is what the higher levels look for.
Sources & further reading
- Ultimate Guide to the Burgundy Wine Classification System — SOMM TV Magazine
- Vosne-Romanée wine — Wikipedia
- Côte de Beaune — Wikipedia
