What is a lieu-dit in Burgundy?

Last week, we took a look at a very special term in Burgundy: Climat. Contrary to what you might think, it doesn't refer to the weather, but to a parcel of vines: "In Burgundy, a Climat is a parcel of vines, progressively and precisely delimited by man, and recognized by its name for centuries, often since the Middle Ages. Each Climat has specific geological, hydrometric and exposure characteristics. Each Climat is vinified separately, from a single grape variety, and the resulting wine takes the name of the Climat from which it is made. The personality of the Climat is expressed in the wine, vintage after vintage, thanks to the know-how of the winemaker. Nowhere else in the world has man sought to link in such a precise and intimate way.., a wine production to its place of production."

And just like Climat, another term is particularly used in the Burgundy region: lieu-dit. This term, combined with Climat, forms the basis of the identity of Burgundy wines. It testifies to the history and richness of the terroir. 

Since the creation of the land register in France, lieux-dits have been used to describe a piece of land whose name recalls a particular topographical or historical feature.

For many years now, the terms Climats and lieux-dits have been perfectly confused in Burgundian usage. There may be several Lieux-dits within a single Climat, or, conversely, a Climat that includes only part of a Lieu-dit. There are a total of 1463 names of Climats and lieux-dits across the region.

To help you understand what this means, here's an example from the Musigny Grand Cru:

Musigny is the Climat, which is made up of the lieux-dits les Musigny and les Petits Musigny, and part of the lieu-dit la Combe d'Orveau. Total for the Musigny grand cru, four names for Climats and lieux-dits.