Encyclopedia
Appellations.
Forty-eight villages, crus, and named places — the specific terroirs that produce the wines on the BWM floor.
This is where the encyclopedia gets specific. The /regions/ entries describe whole wine countries; the /appellations/ entries describe individual villages and crus — the named places that show up on labels, define styles, and ultimately determine the wine in the glass. Each entry covers geography, classification, style, aging arc, and the producers Boulder Wine Merchant works with. The list will keep growing as the team travels.
Burgundy — Côte de Beaune (whites)
Grand Cru & 1er Cru
Puligny-Montrachet
The most pedigreed dry white wine on earth — home of Le Montrachet.
Premier Cru
Meursault
The largest of the great Côte de Beaune whites — broader, richer, more golden.
Grand Cru & 1er Cru
Chassagne-Montrachet
The southernmost great white-wine village, sharing Le Montrachet with Puligny.
Burgundy — Côte de Beaune (reds)
Premier Cru
Pommard
The most structured Côte de Beaune red — dense, clay-and-iron-influenced, age-worthy.
Burgundy — Côte de Nuits
Grand Cru & 1er Cru
Gevrey-Chambertin
Burgundy’s most structured red village — home of Le Chambertin and Armand Rousseau.
Premier Cru
Nuits-Saint-Georges
The Côte de Nuits’ southernmost important village — structured, savory, age-worthy.
Village
Marsannay
The Côte de Nuits’ northernmost village — historically known for rosé, now serious red.
Burgundy — Chablis
Bordeaux — Left Bank
Bordeaux — Right Bank
Premier Grand Cru Classé
Saint-Émilion
The largest fine-wine commune of Bordeaux’s Right Bank — Merlot on limestone.
Bordeaux — Sweet
Northern Rhône
Southern Rhône
Cru
Châteauneuf-du-Pape
The southern Rhône’s flagship appellation — Grenache-led blends on famous galets.
Champagne
Grand Cru village
Ambonnay
The Montagne de Reims Grand Cru — home of Egly-Ouriet’s Pinot-driven Champagne.
Loire Valley
Sauvignon Blanc
Pouilly-Fumé
Sancerre’s sister appellation across the Loire — silex-driven smoky Sauvignon.
Chenin Blanc
Vouvray
The Loire’s most stylistically versatile appellation — Chenin in every register.
Chenin Blanc
Savennières
A single Anjou hill — bone-dry Chenin Blanc with decades of aging potential.
Italy
Tuscany
Brunello di Montalcino
Tuscany’s most prestigious Sangiovese appellation — five years of aging required.
Veneto
Valpolicella Classico
The original Valpolicella heartland — Corvina-led wines from the Amarone vineyards.
Spain
Rioja
Rioja Alta
The historical heart of Rioja — home of the great long-aging Reservas and Gran Reservas.
Jerez
Manzanilla
Sherry’s Atlantic-coast version — saltier, more delicate Fino-style biological-aged.