Written on 19/11/2020
Introducing our terroir
Chanzy is located on the three Côtes de la Bourgogne and offers you exceptional wines, as well as more modest ones. We regularly talk about wine here, all wines, but it seemed essential to us to introduce you to Burgundy wine, its specificities and its qualities.
While Bordeaux is best known for its red wines, Burgundy also shines with its whites. They account for 60% of production, and the best are even more expensive than our finest reds.
What wine-lovers look for in the Burgundy section of their wine merchant is rarity. Our estates produce between 50 and 1,000 cases a year, whereas the average Bordeaux château produces up to 20,000!
The charm of Burgundy's vineyards lies in their small-scale production and their small estates, which are like confetti thrown on the hillsides.
The most common grape varieties are Pinot Noir for the reds and Chardonnay for the whites. Both find here a climate and soil that reveal more of their potential than elsewhere.
Wine-growing Burgundy is divided into 5 districts, each offering a wide variety of taste characteristics. From north to south, we find Chablis, Côte d'Or (Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune), Côte Chalonnaise, Mâconnais and Beaujolais. Beaujolais is generally set apart from the rest of the region, as its wines are so different from those of the other districts.
5 districts, with very different soils and growing conditions. The site where a particular wine is grown is therefore of considerable importance. Here are some basic tips for buying and drinking Burgundy!
Find out about the producer's reputation (if you order from this site, that's one less thing to worry about).
Pay attention to the vintage! For reds, recent good years have been 2010, 2009, 2008, 2006, 2005, 2003... For whites, prefer 2010, 2009, 2008, 2004, 2002, 1999...
While Bordeaux wines generally need to be aged, decanted and aerated, red Burgundy needs less time to mature. It's best enjoyed young, with very little sediment. On the other hand, white Burgundy can benefit from being decanted. As for temperature, 17°C for a red and between 15 and 17°C for a white seem optimal.
Now that you know a little more about our terroir, we hope we've whetted your appetite for more, perhaps by paying us a visit!
