Place Names

As with most European wines, Burgundy labels refer to location rather than grape variety. Burgundy itself is divided into its different villages (communes). Each commune contains individual vineyards (climats), a few of which are usually designated premier cru (very good), and a very few of which may be grand cru (exceptionally good).

Classifications

The simplest and most affordable Burgundies are labeled Bourgogne Rouge (or Blanc) and may be made from grapes from anywhere in Burgundy. Next are commune wines—a Nuits-St-Georges, for instance, may be made only with grapes from vineyards around the little town of Nuits-St-Georges. premier cru wines are labeled with the name of the village as well as the individual vineyard; for instance, Nuits-St-Georges premier cru Les Damodes. Grand cru wines do not list the village name, so a wine from the Bonnes Mares vineyard, for example, will simply say Bonnes Mares. (Even small vineyards are usually split between a large number of producers—Clos de Vougeot, for instance, one of the largest grands crus, is divided among more than 80 different producers.)

Types of Producers

There are basically two kinds in Burgundy: domaines, which own all the vineyards from which they make wine, and négociants, which purchase grapes, juice or even finished wine from growers or domaines and then sell the bottled wine under their own name.