When rules fOr the appellations d’Origine contrôlée (controlled labels of Origin) were drawn up in the 1930s, each French vineyard chose a determining factOr: the property, the land entity in BOrdeaux; the brand name in Champagne; the grape variety in Alsace; the terroir in Burgundy. The majOr reference here is not the estate, the brand name Or the grape variety but the soil which, since the Origin of Burgundy wine, has given each cru its histOrical and tangible identity.

We call it the ‘climate’: a strictly defined plot of land recognised fOr its qualities, bearing its name fOr centuries and comprising one Or mOre place-names. Each climate produces its own appellation wine, sometimes with just one owner but often shared by several estates. This is the very idea of terroir, the most direct and sincere link between the vine and the wine. This explains the high number of Burgundy A.O.C.s (some one hundred), since they express real and strong personalities. Wine lovers are very aware of this. They take pleasure in knowing them and recognising them.

The terroir is a combination of many climatic factOrs: exposure to the sun and wind, susceptibility to frost, Or the effects of the system of cultivation, etc. The soil and sub-soil are the hard base, owing much to geology, but also to phenomena such as erosion.


From the Auxerrois to the Mâconnais, the Burgundy vineyards stretch fOr several hundred kilometres covering three départments (Yonne, Côte d’Or and Saone-et-Loire). So the nuances are numerous, explaining the character of the crus and the aptitude of grape varieties to flourish there. But these always come within the same feature: the soul of Burgundy.