Discover The White Wines of Burgundy

The thickness of the wall, 7 meters thick, which allows for absolute conservation. Here we have all the history of the wines that are stored. Here I want to show you the oldest bottle, which is a Meursault Charm 1846. The Meursault that Christophe Bouchard tells me is in perfect condition, still fresh with excellent acidity. Its longevity is a testament to the quality of these great wines from... Burgundy. Here in the Côte d'Azur, the heart of Burgundy's vineyards, is a white grape that has conquered the world. It's a chameleon, one that changes its character, expressing the soil and weather from where it's grown. It's a grape that, especially here, can be overwhelmingly complex, but knowing a few simple truths can make it accessible. Chardonnay is the ultimate world traveler. It's planted in every major wine-growing region around the world, adapting to a various range of soils and climate. But the earliest reference, the earliest written reference to Chardonnay, speaks to it growing right here at Clos de Vougeot in 1330. The rolling limestone hills of Burgundy provide the ideal cool climate conditions for Chardonnay. The combination of soil, site, climate, and local traditions are called terroirs. The Burgundians have their own word for this. They call it climat. I talked with wine scholar Jean-Pierre Renard. In each place you have a different climatic condition, different type of soil and subsoil, different wine growers, maybe with a different history behind. So all that is a link between the place and the product. This region was blessed by Mother Nature. The growing region is focused on a limestone escarpment running for 200 kilometers, from Chablis in the north down to Mâcon near Lyon in the south. At its heart is the Côte d'Azur, with the largest concentration of Premier Cru and Grand Cru vineyards, revered for their quality the world over. Regardless of style, all white wines here are made from Chardonnay. The style of Chardonnay here differs significantly from those grown in warmer climates like California. First planted in the Middle Ages, there is no finer example worldwide than the white wines of Montrachet. In Burgundy, I find it amazing that the soil of one vineyard will differ significantly from another, even when they're only a few meters apart. Here in Montrachet, there's a Grand Cru vineyard next to a Premier Cru vineyard. There will be a significant price difference between these two wines when they go to market. Winemaker Fabrice Lenne explains the criteria used to establish these boundaries. Wherever you see a road or stone wall in Burgundy, it has deeper meaning. It's likely an ancient demarcation from centuries ago, dividing one plot of land from another. Burgundy's growing regions are a patchwork of these small plots codified by the monks of the Middle Ages. The classification system of vineyard location is key to understanding the quality in Burgundy. On the flat land and at the bottom of the hill, they grow grapes for regional and village wines. The soil here is more fertile. On the sloped lands near the bottom and at the top of the hills, they source the fruit for Premier Cru wines. These are more focused in character. The best locations, near the top of the hill, is where they source Grand Cru wines. This is the pinnacle, the finest expression of Chardonnay in Burgundy. While Chardonnay is made the world over, these vineyards are home to some of the greatest, most age-worthy white wines in the world. When we talk about the wines of Burgundy being all about location, this is one of the reasons why. Here we have soil samples from various vineyards, and you can see they vary dramatically. So picture planting the same grape variety in each of these vineyards. You can only expect that the end result is going to be quite different. The soils of Montrachet produces wines of power and longevity. This is considered by many to be the greatest white wine appellation in France, and perhaps the world. Close by, in the quiet village of Narceau, they stand ready for harvest. This is a town with wine at its heart. The weather here is unpredictable. Mother Nature can have her own ideas. The harvesters are called into action as the rain begins. For the Vigneron, it's essential that the grapes are picked before water swells the fruit or rot sets in. They're not prone to pain. Generations of experience on this land have taught them a respect for tradition, a life in harmony with the vineyards. Here they celebrate cool climate chardonnay, a benchmark style worldwide. When we look at the range of wines available in Burgundy, this is a great example. We have all four levels of our pyramid. We have the regional wines. These are the most affordable. Half of the wines produced in Burgundy are just labeled as regional wines, called Ablation Bourgogne. In this case, they even say it's chardonnay. These wines are a great introduction to what the rest of Burgundy has to offer. As you move up the scale, we have the village wines. In this case, it's a Merceau. I love Merceau. You get a nice little hint of oak. These are soft and a real great introduction to what village wines can be all about. As we move up a little farther, we go to Premier Cru. And this is where we start to get the expression of terroir. These wines have a lot of character, a little more complexity, and there's such a wide range to discover. As we move up to the top of the level, we have Grand Cru. Now, these wines are special. There's not a lot made. They come from very, very small parcels of land. And what makes them unique is the soil composition on these properties is special. With these wines, you can expect aromas and flavors of white tree fruit. You're going to get some citrus character. But it's a backbone of minerality, and that really gives these wines ageability. Now, they're expensive, but they're certainly worth the experience. This is the town of Océon on Burgundy's north edge. They're famous here for a white wine that took the world by storm. Winemaking here is rooted in the ancient church, and this 12th century press still operates as it once did. These monks created a style of chardonnay that took its name from Burgundy's northern region, Chablis. In the 16th and 17th century, Chablis had a virtual monopoly on the lucrative Parisian market. And around this time, the English started to import substantial quantities. Riverways and canals were used as an effective means of transportation, and this really allowed Chablis to become one of the most extensively planted vineyards in the world. Chablis is the most northerly growing region in Burgundy and grows chardonnay exclusively in seven Grand Cru and 40 Premier Cru vineyards. The secret to this region's style lies in an ancient seabed of fossilized shells called Kimmeridgian Soil, which infuses the minerality of the limestone into the wine. For me, the wines of Chablis are the purest expression of the chardonnay grape. The use of stainless steel tanks and limited oak influences means that the wine retains its acidity, minerality, and green apple notes. When someone tells me they don't like chardonnay, I tell them they haven't tasted Chablis. So the vineyards of Chablis are pretty steep. Yes, very steep. What kind of angle is this? Forty-five degrees. Do you pick these vineyards by hand or by machine? Only by hand. I can see why. Gregory Viennois is a man who climbed the ranks in France's wine industry and is technical director at Domaine La Roche. You can see the limestone. It's a very white limestone here. It's very important for our wine. The rugged slopes of Chablis are incredibly difficult to cultivate, but the vines draw out the character of the rocks below. What gives Chablis its unique expression to chardonnay? So, it's a very white limestone. As you can see, we have a lot of fossilized oyster here. You can smell the minerality of Chablis. If you can taste it. Really? Yeah. There's almost a salty mineral character. It's a salinity, it's a minerality. So it's like a transfer between the soil and the wine. Because of the purity of the grapes, of the wine, of the limestone, we don't need to have too much oak. It's why we always use a part in stainless steel. But we need to have stainless steel to conserve the purity. It's important. The minerality you get out of Chablis is so specific, so different, so unique that you cannot confuse Chablis with any other wine in the world. It's very difficult to define what minerality is, but there's something that would kind of keep the wine alive and very lively and very fresh and a very long-lasting taste. And that's very specific to Chablis, even though it's 100% chardonnay. When it comes to wine, I'm always in search of value. Now, Burgundy certainly makes some of the most sought-after wines in the world with price tags to match. But there's so much more, especially here in the Mâconais. The Mâconais region is at Burgundy's southern end, just north of Beaujolais. Its best-known appellation is Pouilly-Fusay. This is chardonnay country. Pouilly-Fusay is the most well-known appellation of the region, and two-thirds of its production is shipped to North America. The temperature here tends to be a little warmer, which gives a different expression to the chardonnay. Overlooking the valley of Pouilly-Fusay is Solutre Rock, with a human history dating back to the Stone Age. This is the limit of Burgundy's limestone ridge. The wines of Pouilly-Fusay embody a unique terroir, elegance imparted by the limestone soils and a richness that comes from the warmer climate. Many of the wines from this area used to be made by large negotiants, blending grapes from numerous small producers. Now there's a change underway in the Mâconais. When you see the young generation going back to work in the vineyard, it means that you have more and more people who are aware of the quality and want to really show they can make great wines. Now the challenge is to make the next generations understand how precious and important is what they have in their hands, how fragile it is also, and how essential it is to find ways to keep it the way it is. Vigneron Christophe Caudier explains the unique microclimate in this valley. The difference with Côte de Beaune, this is the exposition. We have every exposition. You have a southern exposition, an east exposition, and we have vineyards everywhere. It's almost like being in an amphitheater. Yes, yes. In the summer, it's very, very hot here, and we have the warm temperature everywhere. But it's very interesting because we have a lot of clay and limestone on the soil, and we can remain very good acidity for all the wine. Very often, we can compare the best Pouilly-Fussé with, sometimes with a Grand Cru of Côte d'Or. Surrounding the limestone-rich soils of the Solutre Rock, the vineyards of Pouilly-Fussé flourish on its alkaline soils, giving this area such a great potential for the future. Whatever the magic is in these bottles, wine drinkers the world over are raising a glass to an unprecedented demand for bubbles. I like to celebrate what I feel is the best-kept secret in the sparkling wine world, Cremant de Bourgogne. Cremant is the term used to describe French sparkling wines made outside the boundaries of the Champagne region, using the méthode traditionnelle. Much like Champagne, its cousin to the north, these wines are blended from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. But the comparison to Champagne doesn't end there. Yeast and sugar is added to the wine to initiate a secondary fermentation within the bottle. The wine ages on its yeast release before it's finally disgorged and re-corked. What's the difference between Cremant from Burgundy and Champagne? Marcel Combe from Louis Bouillaud explains. The latitude is very fine and exceptional for the quality of the acidity of the grapes. Then we have the two best grapes, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. But what is very, very interesting in Burgundy is that we are a little bit more sunny than the Champagne area. So in a Cremant de Bourgogne, you must find the delicate and the nice fruity of the grapes. A Blanc de Blanc must taste more Chardonnay than a classic Champagne. Or you must find the Pinot Noir in the blend. And for me, this is the authenticity of Cremant de Bourgogne. The cuisine of Burgundy is built on a foundation that is traditional, substantial, and very flavorful. It uses a lot of local ingredients. You have beef from Charolais cattle. It's perfect for Beef Bourguignon. And then there's the chicken, Poulet de Bresse, the only chicken with its own appellation d'origine and considered the finest in the world. And of course, these are all perfectly suited for the wines of Bourgogne. Acidity in the white wines of Burgundy is something I look for. It adds a sharpness to the flavors, and it gives the wine a lift. The acidity also helps cut through the richness of traditional Burgundian cuisine. What he's explaining to me is, with these wines, the wines can have their own character. But when you have them with the cheese, the acids in the wine cut through it, the tannins are softened, and the little bit of saltiness that you get just makes the fruit shine. It brings it all to life. It's an experience not to be missed. For centuries now, these white wines have graced the tables of Europe, and their reputation has only grown. Producers on every corner of the globe measure their chardonnay against the original. These small vineyard plots, laid out by the monks of the Middle Ages, have a style all their own. And it's one that should be experienced by every wine lover.