A quick look at Burgundy’s wines

BOURGOGNE or Burgundy wines have long been considered a seasoned wine lover’s ultimate wine. And this is primarily because of the two fascinating varietals, the ubiquitous Chardonnay (for Whites), and the majestic Pinot Noir (for Reds). It is absolutely a no contest to argue where the best Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs come from — of course, Burgundy. We are not simply talking of the best expression of these two varietals, but also the terroir, the long heritage, wine longevity, and unmatched reputation, not to mention prices of the top growths which are bordering on insanity.

NO SUCH THING AS CALIFORNIAN BURGUNDY

Burgundy as a wine region is far more complicated to understand because of the several AOCs (Appellation D’Origine Controlee or wine regions) and its smaller size per demarcated appellation. Of course, the deceiving marketing ploy of American wineries throughout the 1970s till 1990s of labeling their wines Chablis for whites and Burgundy for reds did a lot of injustice and even resulted in misinformation among the New World wine drinkers. At $2-$3 a bottle, these so called Californian Chablis and Burgundy had probably zero percent Chardonnay and Pinot Noir in them. There should be no confusion or association between these cheap wines with the ones in Burgundy.

COMPARING BURGUNDY TO BORDEAUX

When it comes to size of vineyard area, Burgundy is less than 40% the size of Bordeaux, with around 45,000 hectares as against Bordeaux’s over 110,000 hectares. Despite this, Burgundy has more AOCs than Bordeaux, with 100 official AOCs as against only 60 AOCs in Bordeaux. These 100 AOCs are broken down into 23 Regional AOCs, 44 Communal or Village AOCs, and 33 Grand Cru AOCs. In fact, Burgundy has the most AOCs of any wine region in the world.

Then there are terms like Premier Cru and Grand Cru. The term Premier Cru is sometimes expressed as 1er Cru, which is actually a small estate within the village that has very distinctive terroir and called “Climat.” Burgundy has designated 635 official “Climats” or Premier Cru names. There could be several “Climats” within a Village AOC. In the label, this estate or “Climat” name comes after the name of the Village AOC and after the term Premier Cru or 1er Cru. For example, if you chanced upon a super delicious Chablis 1er Cru “Vaillons” from boutique family-run Domaine Raoul Gautherin, the “Vaillons” in this case, refers to the specific “Climat.”

The Grand Crus only account for around 2% of all wines produced in Burgundy, while the Premier Crus contribute another 10% of total wines made. The quantities of the Grand Crus and Premier Crus are far smaller in quantity than their Grand Cru Classe Bordeaux counterparts.

Another obvious difference is also found in the name. Most Bordeaux wineries are called Chateaux, while Burgundy wineries are called Domaines. Chateau, which means “castle” in French, illustrates size and grandeur, while Domaine means “field,” a more modest and humbler term.

DOMAINE BOUCHARD PERE ET FILS AND MAISON JOSEPH DROUHIN

The Burgundy wine trade is dominated by bigger Domaines who also act as “negociants.” Negociants are wine merchants who buy grapes from different AOCs, make the wine, age the wine, bottle the wine, then label the wines under their Domaine name and sell them to the world. The two biggest burgundy players I see in Philippines are Domaine Bouchard Pere et Fils and Maison Joseph Drouhin.

One of the biggest and most reputable negociants and Burgundy producers is Domaine Bouchard Pere et Fils, a company founded in 1753 — over 260 years old already and now even bigger and more stable than ever. This company was managed by the Bouchard family for nine generations, and was sold in 1995 to Champagne House Maison Henriot.

At present, Bouchard Pere et Fils owns 130 hectares in Burgundy, including 12 hectares in the classified Grand Cru estates, and 74 hectares in the classified Premier Cru “Climats.” Bouchard Pere et Fils is in several of the 100 AOCs of Burgundy both as own-vineyard wine producer and as a negociant. A good portion of Bouchard Pere et Fils wines are in the focal Cote d’Or region, literally meaning “Golden Slope” and known as the heart of Burgundy.

Maison Joseph Drouhin is another of the names that popped out on Burgundy bottles seen in local trade. Founded in 1880, the wine business has been run by the Drouhin family from the onset. The estate owns vineyards in 31 hectares of Premier and Grand Cru estates in the Cote d’Or, and 28 hectares of exceptional vineyards in Chablis, and several more in Cote Chalonnaise. Maison Joseph Drouhin is also among the major Burgundy negociants and produces wines from several Burgundy AOCs. The Drouhin family also has a property and winery in the US called Domaine Drouhin Oregon in Willamette Valley, producing, what else, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

I have to admit that I am a huge fan of Burgundy wines if and when I get a chance to try them. But the reality is that good Burgundies are very expensive. And definitely not all Burgundy wines are created equal, especially at the regional AOC level. It is therefore important to buy from good negociants — both Bouchard Pere et Fils and Maison Joseph Drouhin are reliable ones.

It is very unfortunate that there are not a lot of Premiers or Grand Crus Burgundy available locally even if wine consumers are willing to splurge more on good Burgundies. Perhaps we have to create the right demand first to interest importers to bring the good Burgundy over. Or we just go buy them in nearby Hong Kong.

Burgundy has 40% less vineyard acreage than Bordeaux, but has 100 official AOCs against only 60 AOCs in Bordeaux.