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Burgundy Labels

As I indicated in my introduction to the Burgundy appellations, perhaps the best way to grasp a little more understanding of Burgundy without me actually passing you a glass - something that remains beyond the technology of the internet at present - is to take a look at some labels. This is the purpose of this particular instalment of my guide to Burgundy.

Below are a number of Burgundy labels, starting with Chablis and then moving through the Côte d'Or, taking in grand cru appellations and also communal wines with (a) premier cru climats, and (b) non-premier cru climats, usually referred to as lieux-dits. I have not included any straight communal wines, those wines without mention of any climat at all, as these are perhaps rather more straightforward. I have, however, managed to find an example of Givry, so we can at least have a look at one wine from beyond Chablis and the Côte d'Or.

In each case I have kept my labelling to a minimum; too many 'label guides' focus on the obvious; I think explanations of the vintage date or the name of the domaine are on the whole unnecessary. In each case I have indicated just appellation, classification and climat. On occasion other interesting terms crop up, and I will allude to these either within the image, or in the accompanying text.

This Chablis Grand Cru comes from William Fèvre. There is one grand cru appellation in Chablis, with seven climats, of which Bougros is one. Within the Bougros climat a 2.1-hectare section is identified by William Fèvre as Côte Bouguerots, although this has no formal recognition from the INAO (akin to Albert Bichot's La Moutonne). One other interesting nuance here; Fèvre labels bearing the term "Domaine William Fèvre" originate from owned vines, those that omit the word "Domaine" are négociant wines, made from purchased fruit.

The next step is to straight rather than grand cru Chablis; this appellation allows for generic Chablis or the appending of a premier cru climat if that is the origin of the fruit, as in the case above. The Mont de Milieu is a climat on the right bank of the Serein with a very good reputation, although it is perhaps somewhat eclipsed by its right bank companions Montée de Tonnerre and Fourchaume, both of which are contiguous or at least near-contiguous with the grand cru vineyards.

Here we have jumped to the Côte d'Or, in particular the northern section known as the Côte de Nuits. Unlike Chablis here each grand cru vineyard has its own appellation, and in a further contrast to the situation in Chablis there is no requirement to declare the name of the commune of origin on the label. So although the grand cru vineyard Echézeaux lies within the commune of Flagey-Echézeaux, this information does not appear. The conclusion, I suppose, is that the grand cru name alone is enough information, and as these sites are (in many but not all cases) the pinnacle of the Burgundy experience this seems reasonable.

Sticking with the Côte de Nuits for a moment, here is a wine from a communal appellation, Nuits-Saint-George, originating from a climat classified as premier cru, namely Aux Perdrix. The vineyard is also declared to be a monopole, a vineyard in the sole possession of the domaine in question, Domaine des Perdrix. There are about 150 such vineyards in Burgundy, a small oasis in a sea of vineyards in multiple ownership, which is much more the norm. The interest though is historical, or organisational; sole ownership does not necessarily confer greater quality upon the eventual wine. One further nuance is the term recolte - this merely refers to the year of harvest.

Now we move on to look at a handful of examples from the Côte de Beaune, starting with this grand cru wine originating from the hill of Corton. A gigantic grand cru appellation covering about 160 hectares, the site is divided into a number of climats which may or may not appear on the label. Here, one does; Les Bressandes, a site on the southeast-facing section of the hill overlooking Ladoix-Serrigny. With such a large appellation quality can vary a lot from one domaine to the next. Buyer beware!

Now the first of two communal or village wines from the Côte de Beaune, in the case of the first from Pommard, one of two 100%-red communes on this section of the Côte d'Or, the other being Volnay. The climat in question, classified as a premier cru, is Clos Micault. This label also highlights another aspect of buying the wines of Burgundy - the importance of the négociants such as Albert Bichot. As with William Fèvre, featured at the top of the page, there are subtleties on the label that allow the buyer to distinguish between wines made from Bichot vines as opposed to purchased fruit. Here the absence of a named domaine - such as the Clos Frantin - implies this is made from purchased fruit.

In contrast, here we have a wine from Patrick Javillier with a named climat, or lieu-dit, without premier cru classification. The appellation in question is Meursault, a village with a solely white reputation (although there are tiny quantities of red to be found here also), the climat is Les Tillets, a well-regarded vineyard which lies on the slopes above the sweep of premier cru vineyards running down to Puligny-Montrachet.

Our 'voyage des etiquettes' along the Côte d'Or terminates here, at one of the lesser communes of the Côte de Beaune, Chorey-lès-Beaune. Chorey is one of a number of communes including Savigny-lès-Beaune and Bligny-lès-Beaune that are keen to bask in their association with neighbouring Beaune. As for the vineyard in question, again here we have an unclassified lieu-dit, a monopole, the Pièce du Chapitre, in the hands of Domaine Tollot-Beaut, a source of good value wines.

Chorey-lès-Beaune finished off our Côte d'Or journey, but we must at least acknowledge the existence of Burgundy's other regions, which include the Côte Chalonnaise, Mâconnais and Beaujolais. Beyond Chablis and the Côte d'Or I don't have many examples to proffer, however, so here is just one - a Givry from Domaine Joblot. The system in the four main villages of the Côte Chalonnaise - Givry, Mercurey, Rully and Montagny - is the same as it is on the Côte d'Or, each commune having its own collection of premier cru sites. The Clos de la Servoisine is just one of many to be found in the commune of Givry.

At first glance these labels look complicated, especially to a Burgundy neophyte. But hopefully what we have seen here is that the labels are in truth informative, and if we know which items of information to pick out we can learn some important facts about the origins of the wine in question. That is key to understanding Burgundy, although to fully enjoy her wines we should know about the top producers and probably the effect of vintage as well. These are things I will touch on in the rest of my guide.

That's enough label-talk for now I think. Next up, we get to grips with Chablis.

• Part 4: Chablis: An Introduction