The land

Burgundy is a thin strip of limestone hillside running about 30 miles from Dijon to Santenay, with a few outlying regions to the north (Chablis) and south (the Mâconnais and Beaujolais). The Côte d’Or itself splits into two halves: the Côte de Nuits in the north, where almost everything is red Pinot Noir, and the Côte de Beaune in the south, which produces both red and the world’s reference white Chardonnay.

The classification

Burgundy was the first region to formalize what we now call terroir. Vineyards are graded into four tiers: regional (Bourgogne), village (Volnay, Pommard, Meursault), Premier Cru (specific named sites within a village), and Grand Cru (the very top vineyards, each its own appellation). The system was codified in 1936 but reflects centuries of monastic and ducal land observation going back to the Cluniac and Cistercian orders in the 11th century.

Why it matters

Burgundy is the most reliably terroir-expressive wine region in the world. The same grape, planted on adjacent parcels, can produce wines that taste recognizably different. That intelligibility — the ability to taste a vineyard rather than a brand — is what makes Burgundy the reference for serious wine drinkers, and what justifies the prices that the top sites now command.

Vintages to know

2022 — a generous, balanced vintage across both colors. 2021 — frost-shortened but high-quality from those who survived. 2020 — concentrated, ripe, structured. 2019 — classical, age-worthy. 2018 — generous and forward. 2017 — friendly whites, classical reds. 2016 — fine whites, frost-affected reds. 2015 — powerful, age-worthy reds; rich whites. See the full ratings at /encyclopedia/vintage-chart/.

In the BWM cellar

Sylvain Pataille in Marsannay, Faiveley in Mercurey, Domaine Dujac in Morey-Saint-Denis, Marquis d’Angerville in Volnay, Hubert Lamy in Saint-Aubin, Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey across multiple villages, Domaine Leflaive in Puligny — these are the names Brett and the wine team have built relationships with over decades. Allocations from Armand Rousseau in Gevrey-Chambertin come through when they come through. Browse the full Burgundy hand at /regions/burgundy/.