Burgundy is the most place-driven wine region in the world. A 100-meter shift in vineyard location can double the price. Two adjacent producers in the same village can make wines that barely seem to be from the same region. The good news: there is a hierarchy of what to pay attention to.

1. Producer first

A village-level wine ($60-$100) from a great producer will outperform a Premier Cru ($150-$300) from a mediocre producer almost every time. Top: Roumier, Leflaive, Lafon, Coche-Dury, d’Angerville, Roulot, Mugnier, Hudelot-Noellat, Méo-Camuzet. More accessible ($60-$120): Bachelet, Chevillon, Confuron-Cotetidot, Lignier-Michelot, Grivot.

2. Village second

Each Burgundy village has a personality. Gevrey-Chambertin is muscular. Chambolle-Musigny is silky. Vosne-Romanée is the most coveted. Volnay is graceful. Pommard is firmer. Meursault is rich. Puligny-Montrachet is precise.

3. Vintage third

Top producers make good wine in tough years and great wine in great years. The 2014, 2017, 2019, and 2020 vintages are recent strong ones. The 2015s are powerful but need time. The 2018s are open and approachable.

In Burgundy, you are not buying a grape. You are buying a person’s relationship with a piece of land.

Boulder Wine Merchant has the deepest Burgundy section in Colorado. Read more about our Burgundy program.