Names: From darkness to light!

In the feature "25 years in Burgundy" published in issue 149 of Bourgogne Aujourd'hui, we looked back on a major event of this past quarter century: the rise to the elite of appellations and, by extension, of regions that were previously relegated to playing secondary roles.

 

Côte Chalonnaise , the starting five
Rully , Bouzeron , Mercurey , Givry And Montagny … From north to south, these five appellations make up the Côte Chalonnaise This region deserves to be recognized as a whole. Here, the best wines rival those of their Côte-d'Or neighbors, and the value for money is a significant advantage.

Bouzeron , the northernmost vineyard of the Côte Chalonnaise has always cultivated its originality; it has a name, the aligoté A grape variety once disliked, but which has earned Bouzeron in 1997 appellation villages The vineyard is shaped like a small valley, occupying both slopes. Half of the area faces west, the other half faces east and southeast. The soils are thin, and the slopes are sometimes quite steep. Combined with the terroir, altitude, and exposure of the hillsides, the aligoté The golden color is one of the key elements in the quality of the best Bouzerons. It produces medium-sized bunches, ripens early, has good sugar concentrations and provides moderate yields, resulting in wines of incomparable freshness, carried by a saline character.

Rully owes its renown to its white wines, which represent two-thirds of the appellation and are characterized by a beautiful mineral tension while offering great richness. Geologically speaking, Rully possesses the same characteristics as the Coast of Beaune very close by, namely oolitic limestone soils and marls so favorable to chardonnay , as well as an ideal southeast orientation. The village is also the cradle of appellation Crémant of Burgundy.

Mercurey is today the appellation village rouge the most important on the Coast Chalonnaise …and Burgundy, with nearly 400 hectares (over 600 in total including the Premier Crus)! Tortured, bent in every direction, the vineyard of Mercurey offers an original look. In contrast to uniform and rectilinear displays, the appellation It features a succession of small hills, "mini-coves," and steep or gentler slopes. In short, the terrain is rugged, and the explanation lies in the geology. appellation is produced in two municipalities: Mercurey and Saint-Martin-sous-Montaigu, where five of the thirty-two premier crus are located.

Givry has long been the driving force of the Côte Chalonnaise with excellent terroirs for red wines, some top-tier Premier Crus, and winemakers who have taken control of their destiny. appellation enjoys a high degree of uniformity in soils, but also in exposures.
Almost the entire vineyard faces east, and sometimes even south. Most of the best Premier Cru vineyards are located on the hillside overlooking the small town, with the exception of... Clos Juice. The vines are supported in a unified manner by different superimposed layers of marl and limestone. The terroir also ensures good drainage for the vines and gives the wines: generosity, power and roundness.

Last appellation of this quintet, Montagny , where the chardonnay is located in situation monopoly on the 320 hectares of the four production municipalities ( Montagny -THE- Buxy , Saint-Vallerin, Jully-lès- Buxy And Buxy It produces mineral, elegant wines with beautiful aromatic complexity. The vineyard forms an omega shape, its base oriented from north to south. This configuration implies a great diversity in exposure. Finally, it should be added that today we find in the AOC regional Burgundy Côte Châlonnaise, red Burgundies that are among the best in the entire region.

 

Saint-Aubin , the white pearl
Nestled in the heart of the Côte des Blancs, the AOC Saint-Aubin It no longer has to be ashamed today compared to its prestigious neighbors, Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet The vineyard covers 131 hectares of chardonnay and 32 of pinot noir with thirty Premier Cru vineyards. The area abounds with great terroirs favorable to chardonnay The generation that came to power in the 1980s and 1990s made it possible to take a leap forward by bringing a different approach to the winemaking profession, both technical and commercial, and understanding that the future of the appellation passed through the chardonnay .
As for the tasting, we shouldn't summarize the saint-aubin to minerality. The village is characterized by a "mountainous" side in Les Murgers des Dents de Chien or La Chatenière, with hillsides which in places exceed 30% slope, and more peaceful and classic climates on the side of Charmois and Frionnes.
Saint-Aubin is also synonymous with talented winemakers, with names that we regularly find in our pages such as Lamy, Colin, Larue, Bachelet or Langoureau.

 

Marsannay , great terroirs for pinot noir
Marsannay owes much to a solid core of producers, now in their fifties, who have pooled their skills and exchanged ideas, rather than undermining each other, to dramatically improve the quality of the wines of the village In our issue 126, Sylvain Pataille recalled, "There are a lot of us in our forties who get along well. We move forward together. There was a turning point in the 2000s, a growing awareness. From then on, harvesting machines were used less and less and we started to move towards organic practices."
L' appellation , with its 181 hectares of rouge , 40 of blanc and 20% rosé, now producing great, even exceptional, wines, primarily reds. Structured and powerful, they can also be refined and elegant. As early as 2004, a scientific soil study, the first of its kind in Burgundy, was commissioned by the winegrowers' association to identify and characterize the different terroirs and soil types. This study was a catalyst for compiling a Premier Cru classification application, the outcome of which is near.

 

Crémant de Bourgogne, the sparkling wine in top form
The success of crémant The popularity of Burgundy wines has remained consistent for several years, as evidenced by sales figures.
steadily increasing: 16.5 million bottles in 2009, 17.5 million in 2013 and 19 million in 2017… A remarkable rise for a appellation whose specifications have been tightened and where specialists – Louis Bouillot, Vitteaut-Alberti, Louis Picamelot, Veuve Ambal, the Caves de Bailly, to name but a few – have made a name for themselves.
Proof of this dynamism lies in the new vintages that are regularly released and the increasingly emphasized concept of terroir. A new designation emerged with the creation of Éminent and Grand Éminent in 2017, conceived by the producers and winemakers of the... appellation And synonymous with a move upmarket, it has its own set of specifications. The aging period on the lees is
Twenty-four months for an Éminent and thirty-six for a Grand Éminent. The grape varieties used in these cuvées are also more limited. The wines can be white or rosé, made exclusively from these grape varieties. pinot noir and/or chardonnay The grape variety gamay It is permitted up to a maximum of 20% in the blend for rosé wines. With an increasingly dedicated vineyard area, Crémant de Bourgogne wines have a bright future ahead.

 

Chablis , the equation of quantity and quality
" Chablis "It is the Burgundian success story of the last thirty years and the vineyard seems unsinkable," wrote issue 142 of Bourgogne Aujourd'hui. Since 1970, plantings have continued unabated, reaching a total area of ​​nearly 6,000 hectares today ( Chablis grand cru : 99 hectares, Chablis premier cru : 770 ha, Chablis : 3,710 ha, Petit- Chablis : 1,286 ha). During our regular tastings since 1994 of the wines of the appellation Their quality has only improved, and the "style" Chablis Defined by purity and freshness, this wine appeals to today's consumers. The Premier and Grand Cru vineyards rest on a thick layer, between 40 and 100 meters deep, of limestone sediments and fossilized shells, known as the Kimmeridgian. Facing south to west, the seven Grand Cru vineyards unfold across steep slopes.
A distinctive feature of the Chablis vineyards is the significant role of cooperation with the La Chablisienne cooperative, which alone represents… 1,200 hectares! A "giant" operator, it coexists with some 300 estates, some of which have become "iconic," such as those of Vincent Dauvissat, François Raveneau, or Jean-Paul and Benoît. Droin Also worth noting is the excellent value for money of the wines from the appellation .

 

Pouilly-Fuissé , Premier Cru wines as a reward
The emblematic Mâconnais wine region, in southern Burgundy, obtained its first crus (22 in total) in 2020, and rightly so, given the exceptional quality of the wines. appellation are capable of competing with the greatest white wines of Burgundy. appellation is produced in four communes, starting with Chaintré, the southernmost. A little further north is Fuissé, the most important village in Pouilly-Fuissé , with a vineyard shaped like a circus, similar to Solutré-Pouilly. Finally, the northernmost and highest commune of the AOC , Vergisson .
With vastly different exposures and altitudes, the wines exhibit fundamentally different characters: rich and full-bodied from south-facing slopes, finer and more vibrant from west- and north-facing slopes, or from plots situated at the highest elevations. Add to this the distinctive touch of numerous talented winemakers, and you'll be spoiled for choice, all at prices that remain very reasonable! Many excellent, elegant Premier Cru wines can be found between €25 and €35 ​​a bottle.