Burgundy produces some of the most delicate and etherial
wines in the world. Staking claim to some of the
greatest expressions of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
Wine making dates back for thousands of years in this region,
and its world class wines are thanks to a perfect balance between
both nature, and nurture.
Unique geography of Burgundy plays a vital role
in the quality of its wines. This includes the soil,
climate and even the Diurnal Range
which is the difference in temperature between day and night.
What does a terroir mean? So, Terroir is a
a French word which means its a combination of
the soil and the climate, its really
the place where we are. Its this incredible
alchimie
between the climate and the soil, which is very difficult to explain
It's not just the weather and the climate, and the soil
its the combination of both?
It's an amazing combination, for instance the weather.
Its a semi-continental climate,
we are not too close from the sea, so the winters
are cold and then the summer hot
The thing we don't have much is the rain because
great Burgundy wine doesn't like the rain
which is quite unique, we are lucky
We are not smart, we are lucky!
Collectively known as terroir, these elements influence
the quality of the grapes grown in the region and eventually
the final expression of the wine.
In Burgundy, the primary soil type is a mix of
clay and limestone, originating from the Jurassic period,
which dates back almost 200 million years.
These soils may be ancient, but they still have a
large impact on the flavours and aromas
of Burgundy's wines today.
As vines grow, their roots will draw water
absorbing the nutrients and minerals from the soil at the same time.
Burgundy has it's own terroir that differs from other regions
Yet, within the region itself, there are also many
variations.
Terroir is not limited to just soil and climate
as the cultivation of grape vines, known as viticulture
must also be considered and important factor
For example, producers in Burgundy will use a specific
method of vine training known as Double Guyot
to cultivate their vines. This is just one of many techniques
with different regions using methods that are suited to their
individual needs.
Viticulturists must tend to their vines all year round
to make sure they're as healthy as possible.
You need to control the vines. You need to
preen it every year. During the winter
we are going to prune it to control the
quantity, and to grow the vines.
Take a long time, 3 or 5 months
and after we are going to we put the wood
On the lines
The buds grow up, we have the grapes
Viticulturists must also consider
the orientation of vines to the slope when planting
Burgundy's climate offers up different challenges each year
and the viticulturist has to adapt to these as quickly as possible
How do you decide which direction you plant
them on a slope?
Finally, is the all important decision of when
to harvest. This will depend on the temperatures,
rainfall and sunshine experienced across the year
But most critically, the weather at harvest time.
So, how do you decide when to start the harvest?
A lot of people would answer this question saying
that they measure the sugar content. They go by
Brix. It's a first answer
we think its not enough. Its not because
you have a lot of sugar that the grape is ripe
what you want to do, to decide of the harvest, you want really
to go in each vineyard
and taste for berries. And when you think the ripeness
which is the taste,
which in fact is common sense, if you decide to grow
apple trees
you decide to pick them when they taste good
So, you want to do the same thing with grapes
An important figure, for instance, is that you want to count at least
one of the days, between the flowering and
the picking
it may be that
over 90 days you have the sugar content, but you don't get the ripeness,
so you wait.
The decision of when to pick cannot be underestimated
As unripe grapes may produce thin, acidic wines
And overripe grapes, heavy and alcoholic wines
The key is to harvest at the optimum moment
to ensure the highest potential quality for the wine maker
Burgundy's unique terroir begins in the vineyard
where nature has provided the framework for growing
top quality grapes
However, the human element
honed over thousands of years is equally essential to
crafting these world class wines.