RELATIONSHIPS
Subdivide place names and check the producer.
Two pieces of information: location and producer.
Place name & classification
Broad region, village, Premier Cru, Grand Cru. Confirm the scope and regulations.
Producer • Vintage
Even from the same vineyard, cultivation and vinification conditions should be checked individually.
This is a summary of the relationships explained in the main text. For details on grape composition and production conditions, please refer to the main text and official sources. Sources and reference materials
REGIONAL ATLAS / Understanding by location
Burgundy: The villages and slopes of the Côte d'Or
This is a schematic diagram highlighting representative sites in Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune. North is up. Chablis, Côte Chalonnaise, and Mâconnais are outside the scope of this enlarged diagram. Boundaries and distances are not indicated.
You can move the map horizontally on small screens. You can also select locations from the names below the diagram.
1. Gevrey-Chambertin
From northern villages, trace south to Vougeot, Vosne-Romanée, and Nuits-Saint-Georges. Village names are clues to the location of individual climats.
2. Vougeot
Villages of Côte de Nuits. Read the position of the village names and the areas containing Grand Cru and other classified zones as distinct entities.
3. Vosne-Romanée
South of Vougeot, north of Nuits-Saint-Georges. Even in neighboring villages, research the slope positions and strata of each climat separately.
4 Nuits-Saint-Georges
Landmarks in the southern part of Côte de Nuits. Do not confuse the sequence of village names with classification rankings, and identify the specific climat you are looking for.
5. Beaune
The central town of Côte de Beaune. At the southern edge, Clos des Mouches borders Pommard. This is the start point for comparing the plots of Drouhin and Chanson.
6. Pommard
The southwest side of Beaune. When comparing between villages or between producers within the same climat, the number of shared conditions varies.
7. Meursault
Further south from Pommard. The approach of considering slope position, aspect, and geological layers is also common when comparing Chardonnay whites.
8. Puligny/Chassagne
A landmark referring to two villages south of Meursault. Do not treat both villages as a single appellation; always confirm the village and vineyard name on the label.
Reference materials with diagrams and explanations:BIVB | From Terroir to Climat ↗ ／ BIVB | Overview of Burgundy (PDF) ↗ ／ Joseph Drouhin | Clos des Mouches Red 2021 ↗
Read the main text about the region →FIELD NOTE 01
Regions running north to south
From northern Chablis, on through the Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune, Côte Chalonnaise, and Maconnais, the regions continue. Under the broad name Bourgogne, various hillsides and cultivation environments are included.
Even after identifying the village, slope height and orientation vary. Moving from the region name to individual climats allows for comparison of vineyards using the same variety.
FIELD NOTE 02
The main varieties for both red and white.
Pinot Noir is the main red variety, Chardonnay for white. While these two grapes form a common foundation, there are others like Aligoté, so not everything can be explained by just two varieties.
Even with Chardonnay wines, the final result changes depending on the vessel and lees contact. I want to compare the differences between locations and producers' winemaking separately.
FIELD NOTE 03
Read both the vineyard name and the producer name together.
The classification into broad region, village name, Premier Cru, and Grand Cru relates to both identifying the land and regulatory definitions. Since a single climat may be owned by multiple producers, the same vineyard name does not mean just one wine.
By lining up different producers from the same year and vineyard, you can compare by controlling for place and focus on differences in winemaking.
FIELD NOTE 04
Distinguishing between vineyard and ownership at Clos des Mouches
For Beaune Premier Cru Clos des Mouches, 'Beaune' is the appellation, 'Premier Cru' is the classification, and 'Clos des Mouches' is the vineyard name. It is a real site at the southern end of Beaune, bordering Pommard.
Drouhin makes both red and white here; Chanson owns plots for white in the same climat. Even when wines share the same climat name, the grapes come from each producer’s individual plots. Comparing wines by the name of the entire climat and comparing two different winemaking methods for grapes from the same plot are not the same conditions.
First, compare whites of the same vintage and variety. Next, examine vineyard location, viticulture, pressing, fermentation, and aging. Instead of attributing taste differences to a single word like 'terroir' or 'producer', list the remaining conditions; this approach helps move beyond simple comparison.
FIELD NOTE 05
Slopes affect sunlight and soil thickness.
In the BIVB’s explanation on topography, slope position, presence of limestone or marl layers, and differences in topsoil or sediment are correlated. East to southeast-facing slopes receive sunlight, and due to erosion and deposition, soil thickness also varies from top to bottom of the slope.
These become pathways for changes in environment for the roots and water conditions. When comparing two plots within the same climat, start by reading the explanation of slope position, orientation, and soil. From there, proceed to harvest maturity and viticultural decisions. Rather than directly linking a village name to being “delicate” or “powerful,” it's easier to explain differences that arise from such intermediate conditions.
Basis for this section:BIVB | From Terroir to Climat ↗ ／ Joseph Drouhin | Clos des Mouches Red 2021 ↗ ／ Domaine Chanson | Clos des Mouches White 2024 ↗
The climat identifies the land. Since viticulture, harvest, extraction, and maturation practices differ, you also need the producer name and vintage.
PAUSE & REFLECT
Check your understanding.
If it has the same climat name, will the wine be the same even if the producer is different?
Read the explanation ＋
The climat identifies the land. Since viticulture, harvest, extraction, and maturation practices differ, you also need the producer name and vintage.
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Vincent Dauvissat: Base and Vineyard Origins →
François Raveneau: Overlapping Chablis vineyard names →
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Domaine Leflaive: The Three Leflaive Labels →
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Sources and reference materials
These are the reference materials for the main text. For details of production regulations, consult the current documents. For individual wine specifications, refer to materials for the relevant vintage.
- BIVB | Overview of Burgundy (PDF) ↗
- BIVB | Beaune Appellations and Climats ↗
- Joseph Drouhin | Clos des Mouches Red 2021 ↗
- Domaine Chanson | Clos des Mouches White 2024 ↗
- BIVB | From Terroir to Climat ↗