Burgundy Part Deux – How To Read A Label

We were overwhelmed with Burgandy’s complexity.  The soil, the climate, the changes in altitudes… It was overwhelming.  vineyards separated by a stone wall or a path can possess very different flavors and levels of quality.  I felt like we would never learn it all.  On our tour, Jean-Michel (from Authentica Tours) explained how the wines are classified and it really helped make sense of them. The vineyards of Burgundy have four levels:

• Regional and district appellations that tell it’s from the area or even a specific part of it.  The label will read something like (AOC Bourgogne, Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune, Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits, or Mâcon-Villages).
• Village/commune
• Premier Cru (1ere Cru)
• Grand Cru

The reason the labeling system is so specific is the terroir is so diverse.  Different soils and geology produce different tastes.  Two of the wines below were produced just feet from each other.  We were astonished by how different they tasted.  Incredible.

Regional wines are produced over the entire region (Bourgogne = Burgundy).  If you want to try one, the label will say “Bourgogne”.  They may sometimes combine different types of grapes in these wines.

Village/commune wines are produced from vineyard sites (that aren’t Grand or Premier Cru) within the boundaries of one village.  Each village’s wines have their own specific qualities and characteristics  The village’s name will appear on the label.

Premier Cru (1ere Cru) wines are produced from very high quality vineyards (smaller, more specific areas than the village designation). The label will have:

• the name of the village,
• the Premier Cru status (how else can they get you to pay more for it), and
• the vineyard name (usually).

Grand Cru is the highest level and produced from the very best plots.  They are very, very expensive.   How do people know they’ll be good?  They’ve grown wine on them for thousands of years; they’ve seen their consistent quality and distinctive character over the years.  In these wines, everything is been done to ensure the maximum expression of the grape and the terroir.  The label will contain:

 

• the words Grand Cru (probably in larger print than the price)
• the name of the exact part of the Grand Cru area the wine is from

According to Jean-Michel, “wine tasting is an intellectual experience.”  It’s pretty fun too.

 

 

 

 

Burgundy Part Un – A Geology Lesson?

See this guy.  His name is Jean-Michel.  He has ruined wine for us. Before we took the best wine tour ever with him, we were happy drinking almost anything.*  The other night after a long day of work, he passed on a (free) red because he didn’t like the smell. I rest my case.

Jean-Michel (a tour guide par excellence) said that to understand Burgundy, we must understand its geology.  Burgundy doesn’t produce tons of wine, but it produces very good wines and some outstanding (ridiculously expensive) ones.  Why? Geology.

Millions of years ago, Burgundy was the seaside.  Over time, as pressure from the African and European plates, caused the layers of soil to bend and fracture.  Glaciers further shattered them.  The vineyards still follow this fault line.  There is a narrow strip with great soil (for growing wine) whose diversity is due to the breakup of these layers.

The shakeup of the seaside yielded the  perfect mix for growing wine in certain really specific areas (the dispersed bits and pieces combined with microclimates are the main reasons for Burgandy’s notorious complexity).

Burgundy is in France.  As a result, it didn’t take long for people to realize and exploit its wine growing potential.  Jean-Michel explained that the monastic orders became the first major vineyard owners.  With land, time to study and a dedication to physical labor, they quickly learned how different vineyard plots consistently gave different wines.  When popes took a liking to their wines, the monks had a powerful bargaining chip that they used and keenly protected (keeping the quality high).

Making a valuable commodity like good wine made the monks rich and powerful.  This is just one of their several wine presses.  they meant business.  The monk’s summer residence.  Clearly, they weren’t hurting.

After Burgundy became part of the France, the power of the church decreased and many vineyards were sold.  During the French Revolution, the church’s remaining vineyards were seized and sold.  Napoleonic inheritance laws caused the continual subdivision of the most precious vineyard land.  As a result, many modern day growers only hold a row or two of vines!  The different colors, stakes and markers at the end of the rows below differentiate the rows of different owners!

*Except for maybe Boone’s Farm.

 

 

 

St. Saphorin

St. Saphorin, one of the towns in the Lavaux Vineyards (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), is known for its white wine, terraced vineyards and its beauty. It is not false advertising.  This place is insanely beautiful.  They weren’t lying about the terraces or the wine either.  

Lots of things have to come together to make a town this cute.  They include: winding streets, gorgeous views of the lake and mountains,  stone buildings, cute decorations, adorable fountains, narrow alleys, Roman ruins and, of course, free wine.   

Winding streets? Check.

Gorgeous views of the lake and mountains? Hmmm.

Yeah, that’ll do.  Check.

Stone buildings?  Check.

Cute decorations? Check.

The cute decorations were everywhere.

Adorable fountain?  Check.

Narrow alleys?  Check.

St. Saphorin is built on a Roman site.  In the basement of the house where I grew up, there are canned goods, potatoes and onions.  In St. Saphorin, they have excavated Roman ruins in their crypt. 

Roman ruins?  Check.

Free wine?  Check.

The town was handing out free glasses of wine and bread sticks.   It was really good.   Okay, so free wine doesn’t actually make a town cute, but it doesn’t hurt either.   They receive bonus points for the bread sticks.

Lavaux

If you are a wine person, or even if you are not a wine person (merely an incredibly beautiful views person), when you come to Switzerland spend a day hiking around the Lavaux  vinyards.  They are amazing and a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

The terraces can be traced back to the 11th century.  In the 12th century, the Bishop of Lausanne gave various lands to the Cistercian Order.  They have grown wine here ever since.  In fact, this is one of the best-known wine producing regions in Switzerland.  The sunlight reflected off the lake and the heat that remains stored in the stone walls and lake help the grapes.

Franz Weber helped to get them declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site and ensure their protection from development.  He continues to oppose their development calling it the “concretization of Lavaux.”  Can you imagine Del Boca Vista Phase III here?  

Yep.  That’s France across the water.  I hear they make wine there too.

Warning: The wineries are not usually open earlier in the day. Check their schedules if you want to go inside and meet someone.  We were perfectly happy to walk through their vineyards and see their grapes, which you can do at any time.