The origins of Burgundy

Burgundy wine

Burgundy wine is wine made in the Burgundy region in eastern France, in the valleys and slopes west of the Saône River, a tributary of the Rhône. The most famous wines produced here - those commonly referred to as "Burgundies" - are red wines made from Pinot Noir grapes or white wines made from...

's Grand crus can be found in the work of the Cistercians who, among their vast land holdings, were able to delineate and isolate plots of land that produced wine

Wine

Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...

 of distinct character. Following the French Revolution

French Revolution

The French Revolution , sometimes distinguished as the 'Great French Revolution' , was a period of radical social and political upheaval in France and Europe. The absolute monarchy that had ruled France for centuries collapsed in three years...

 many of these vineyards were broken up and sold as smaller parcels to various owners. The partible inheritance

Partible inheritance

Partible inheritance is a general term applied to systems of inheritance in which property may be apportioned among heirs. It contrasts in particular with primogeniture, which requires that the whole inheritance passes to the eldest son, and with agnatic seniority where the succession passes to...

 scheme outlined in the Napoleonic code

Napoleonic code

The Napoleonic Code — or Code Napoléon — is the French civil code, established under Napoléon I in 1804. The code forbade privileges based on birth, allowed freedom of religion, and specified that government jobs go to the most qualified...

 which specified that all inheritance must be equally divided among heirs further contributed to the parceling of Burgundy's vineyards. This created situations such as the case of Clos Vougeot

Clos Vougeot

Clos de Vougeot, also known as Clos Vougeot, is a wall-enclosed vineyard, a clos, in the Burgundy wine region, and an Appellation d'origine contrôlée for red wine from this vineyard. It was named for the River Vouge, which is in fact only a stream separating the village Vougeot from...

 which was a single 125 acres (50.6 ha) run by the monks that today is parceled into plots owned by nearly 80 different owners, some of whom only own enough vines to make a case

Case (goods)

A case of some merchandise is a collection of items packaged together. In the United States, typically a standard case contains a certain number of items depending on what the merchandise is. For consumer foodstuffs such as canned goods, soda, cereal and such, a case is typically 24 items,...

 of wine per vintage

Vintage

Vintage, in wine-making, is the process of picking grapes and creating the finished product . A vintage wine is one made from grapes that were all, or primarily, grown and harvested in a single specified year. In certain wines, it can denote quality, as in Port wine, where Port houses make and...

. In accordance with Appellation d'origine contrôlée

Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée

Appellation d’origine contrôlée , which translates as "controlled designation of origin", is the French certification granted to certain French geographical indications for wines, cheeses, butters, and other agricultural products, all under the auspices of the government bureau Institut National...

laws each of these owners are entitled to use of Grand Cru Clos de Vougeot on their label though the quality, price and reputation of this Grand cru wine can vary widely.

List of Grand Crus

Grand Cru	Region	Village	Wine style
Chablis Grand Cru	Chablis	Chablis Chablis Chablis is a town and commune in the Yonne department in Burgundy in north-central France.It lies in the valley of the River Serein.-Wine:The village of Chablis gives its name to one of the most famous French white wines...	White wine
Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Chambertin-Clos de Bèze is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, with Pinot Noir as the main grape variety. Chambertin-Clos de Bèze is located within the commune of Gevrey-Chambertin, together with a group of nine Grand...	Côte de Nuits Côte de Nuits The Côte de Nuits is a French wine region located in the northern part of the Côte d'Or, the limestone ridge that is at the heart of the Burgundy wine region. It extends from Dijon to just south of Nuits-Saint-Georges, which gives its name to the district and is the regional center...	Gevrey-Chambertin Gevrey-Chambertin Gevrey-Chambertin is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department of France in the Bourgogne region in eastern France.It lies 15 km South of Dijon. This touristic, winemaking village is situated on the Route des Grands Crus in the Côte de Nuits...	Red wine
Charmes-Chambertin Charmes-Chambertin Charmes-Chambertin is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, with Pinot Noir as the main grape variety...	Côte de Nuits	Gevrey-Chambertin	Red wine
Chapelle-Chambertin Chapelle-Chambertin Chapelle-Chambertin is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, with Pinot Noir as the main grape variety...	Côte de Nuits	Gevrey-Chambertin	Red wine
Griotte-Chambertin Griotte-Chambertin Griotte-Chambertin is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, with Pinot Noir as the main grape variety. Griotte-Chambertin is located within the commune of Gevrey-Chambertin...	Côte de Nuits	Gevrey-Chambertin	Red wine
Latricières-Chambertin Latricières-Chambertin Latricières-Chambertin is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, with Pinot Noir as the main grape variety. Griotte-Chambertin is located within the commune of Gevrey-Chambertin. It is situated above the Route des Grands...	Côte de Nuits	Gevrey-Chambertin	Red wine
Chambertin Chambertin Chambertin is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, with Pinot Noir as the main grape variety. Chambertin is located within the commune of Gevrey-Chambertin, and it is situated approximately in the centre of a group of...	Côte de Nuits	Gevrey-Chambertin	Red wine
Mazis-Chambertin Mazis-Chambertin Mazis-Chambertin, sometimes written Mazy-Chambertin is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, with Pinot Noir as the main grape variety. Mazis-Chambertin is located within the commune of Gevrey-Chambertin. It is situated...	Côte de Nuits	Gevrey-Chambertin	Red wine
Mazoyères-Chambertin Mazoyères-Chambertin Mazoyères-Chambertin is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, with Pinot Noir as the main grape variety. Mazoyères-Chambertin is located within the commune of Gevrey-Chambertin. It is situated below the Route des Grands...	Côte de Nuits	Gevrey-Chambertin	Red wine
Ruchottes-Chambertin Ruchottes-Chambertin Ruchottes-Chambertin is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, with Pinot Noir as the main grape variety. Ruchottes-Chambertin is located within the commune of Gevrey-Chambertin...	Côte de Nuits	Gevrey-Chambertin	Red wine
Bonnes-Mares	Côte de Nuits	Morey-Saint-Denis Morey-Saint-Denis Morey-Saint-Denis is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.-Population:-Wine:Morey-Saint-Denis is situated in the Northern section of the Côte d'Or called Côte de Nuits. It is one of the principal wine producing villages of the region....	Red wine
Clos de la Roche Clos de la Roche Clos de la Roche is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, with Pinot Noir as the main grape variety. It is situated in the commune of Morey-Saint-Denis in the Côte-d'Or département...	Côte de Nuits	Morey-Saint-Denis	Red wine
Clos des Lambrays Clos des Lambrays Clos des Lambrays is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, with Pinot Noir as the main grape variety. It is situated in the commune of Morey-Saint-Denis in the Côte-d'Or département, and is located immediately to the...	Côte de Nuits	Morey-Saint-Denis	Red wine
Clos de Tart Clos de Tart Clos de Tart is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, with Pinot Noir as the main grape variety. It is situated in the commune of Morey-Saint-Denis in the Côte-d'Or département...	Côte de Nuits	Morey-Saint-Denis	Red wine
Clos Saint-Denis Clos Saint-Denis Clos Saint-Denis is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, with Pinot Noir as the main grape variety. It is situated in the commune of Morey-Saint-Denis in the Côte-d'Or département...	Côte de Nuits	Morey-Saint-Denis	Red wine
Bonnes-Mares	Côte de Nuits	Chambolle-Musigny Chambolle-Musigny Chambolle-Musigny is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.It is one of the wine villages situated on the Côte-d'Or escarpment, and is one of the twelve Cote d'Or communes of France which added/adopted the name of their most well-known vineyard as a suffix to the original name of...	Red wine
Musigny	Côte de Nuits	Chambolle-Musigny	Red and some white wine
Clos de Vougeot	Côte de Nuits	Vougeot Vougeot Vougeot is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.-Population:-Wine:The historical wall-enclosed Grand Cru vineyard Clos Vougeot is situated within the commune and makes up most of its vineyard surface.-See also:...	Red wine
Échezeaux Échezeaux Échezeaux is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, with Pinot Noir as the main grape variety. Échezeaux is located within the commune of Flagey-Echézeaux, on a strip of land between the territory of the communes...	Côte de Nuits	Flagey-Echézeaux Flagey-Echézeaux Flagey-Echézeaux is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.-Population:-Wine:Flagey-Echézeaux is home to two Grand Cru vineyards, Échezeaux and Grands Échezeaux. Most of the other vineyards of the commune is part of the Vosne-Romanée appellation, and there is no "Flagey-Echézeaux"...	Red wine
Grands Échezeaux Grands Échezeaux Grands Échezeaux is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, with Pinot Noir as the main grape variety. Grands Échezeaux is located within the commune of Flagey-Echézeaux, on a strip of land between the territory of the...	Côte de Nuits	Flagey-Echézeaux	Red wine
La Grande Rue La Grande Rue La Grande Rue is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, with Pinot Noir as the main grape variety.- Wine style :...	Côte de Nuits	Vosne-Romanée Vosne-Romanée Vosne-Romanée is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in Burgundy in eastern France.-Population:-Wine:It produces the region's most celebrated wines, all made entirely from the Pinot Noir grape: "There can be little doubt that in the firmament of the Cote de nuits, Vosne-Romanée is the brightest...	Red wine
La Romanée La Romanée La Romanée is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, with Pinot Noir as the main grape variety. It is situated within the commune of Vosne-Romanée and is a monopole of the winery Comte Liger-Belair...	Côte de Nuits	Vosne-Romanée	Red wine
La Tâche La Tâche AOC La Tâche is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, with Pinot Noir as the main grape variety. It is situated within the commune of Vosne-Romanée and is a monopole of the winery Domaine de la Romanée-Conti...	Côte de Nuits	Vosne-Romanée	Red wine
Richebourg Richebourg (wine) Richebourg is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, with Pinot Noir as the main grape variety. It is situated within the commune of Vosne-Romanée, and borders La Romanée and Romanée-Conti in the south,...	Côte de Nuits	Vosne-Romanée	Red wine
Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, with Pinot Noir as the sole grape variety. It is situated within the commune of Vosne-Romanée and is a monopole of the winery Société Civile du Domaine de la...	Côte de Nuits	Vosne-Romanée	Red wine
Romanée-Saint-Vivant Romanée-Saint-Vivant Romanée-Saint-Vivant is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for red wine in the Côte de Nuits subregion of Burgundy, with Pinot Noir as the main grape variety. It is situated within the commune of Vosne-Romanée...	Côte de Nuits	Vosne-Romanée	Red wine
Corton	Côte de Beaune	Pernand-Vergelesses Pernand-Vergelesses Pernand-Vergelesses is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.-Population:-Wine:Pernand-Vergelesses is one of the wine communes of the Côte de Beaune. The western side of the Corton hill is in the commune, including vineyards used to produce the Grand Cru wine...	Red wine
Corton-Charlemagne Corton-Charlemagne Corton-Charlemagne is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for white wine in Côte de Beaune subregion of Burgundy. It is located in the communes of Aloxe-Corton, Pernand-Vergelesses and Ladoix-Serrigny; and Chardonnay is the only allowed grape variety. Around 300,000 bottles...	Côte de Beaune Côte de Beaune The Côte de Beaune area is the southern part of the Côte d'Or, the limestone ridge that is home to the great names of Burgundy wine. The Côte de Beaune starts between Nuits-Saint-Georges and Beaune, and extends southwards for about 25 km to the River Dheune...	Pernand-Vergelesses	White wine
Charlemagne Charlemagne (wine) Charlemagne is a little used Appellation d'origine contrôlée at Grand Cru level for white wine in Côte de Beaune subregion of Burgundy. The vineyards that can use this AOC are located within the communes of Aloxe-Corton and Pernand-Vergelesses...	Côte de Beaune	Pernand-Vergelesses	White wine
Corton	Côte de Beaune	Ladoix-Serrigny Ladoix-Serrigny Ladoix-Serrigny is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.-Population:-Wine:Ladoix-Serrigny is one of the wine communes of the Côte de Beaune, and the wines are usually labelled Ladoix, without the Serrigny part. The northeastern part of the Corton hill is in the commune, including...	Red wine
Corton-Charlemagne Corton-Charlemagne Corton-Charlemagne is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for white wine in Côte de Beaune subregion of Burgundy. It is located in the communes of Aloxe-Corton, Pernand-Vergelesses and Ladoix-Serrigny; and Chardonnay is the only allowed grape variety. Around 300,000 bottles...	Côte de Beaune	Ladoix-Serrigny	White wine
Corton	Côte de Beaune	Aloxe-Corton Aloxe-Corton Aloxe-Corton is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in Bourgogne in eastern France.- Etymology :Aloxe-Corton comes from the Celtic "al" meaning "high place".Aloxe-Corton is pronounced "Aloss-Corton" ....	Red wine
Corton-Charlemagne Corton-Charlemagne Corton-Charlemagne is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for white wine in Côte de Beaune subregion of Burgundy. It is located in the communes of Aloxe-Corton, Pernand-Vergelesses and Ladoix-Serrigny; and Chardonnay is the only allowed grape variety. Around 300,000 bottles...	Côte de Beaune	Aloxe-Corton	White wine
Charlemagne Charlemagne (wine) Charlemagne is a little used Appellation d'origine contrôlée at Grand Cru level for white wine in Côte de Beaune subregion of Burgundy. The vineyards that can use this AOC are located within the communes of Aloxe-Corton and Pernand-Vergelesses...	Côte de Beaune	Aloxe-Corton	White wine
Bâtard-Montrachet Bâtard-Montrachet Bâtard-Montrachet is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for white wine from Chardonnay in the Côte de Beaune subregion of Burgundy. It is located within the communes of Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet...	Côte de Beaune	Puligny-Montrachet Puligny-Montrachet Puligny-Montrachet is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.In the middle of the Côte de Beaune, it is a well-known appellation of Burgundy wine, containing one of the most famous vineyards in the world, Montrachet.-Population:-Wine:...	White wine
Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for white wine from Chardonnay in the Côte de Beaune subregion of Burgundy. It is located within the commune of Puligny-Montrachet...	Côte de Beaune	Puligny-Montrachet	White wine
Chevalier-Montrachet Chevalier-Montrachet Chevalier-Montrachet is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for white wine from Chardonnay in the Côte de Beaune subregion of Burgundy. It is located within the commune of Puligny-Montrachet. Bâtard-Montrachet borders on the Grand Cru vineyard Montrachet and on the...	Côte de Beaune	Puligny-Montrachet	White wine
Montrachet Montrachet Montrachet is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for white wine from Chardonnay in the Côte de Beaune subregion of Burgundy. It is situated across the border between the two communes of Chassagne-Montrachet and Puligny-Montrachet and produces what many consider to be the...	Côte de Beaune	Puligny-Montrachet	White wine
Bâtard-Montrachet Bâtard-Montrachet Bâtard-Montrachet is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for white wine from Chardonnay in the Côte de Beaune subregion of Burgundy. It is located within the communes of Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet...	Côte de Beaune	Chassagne-Montrachet Chassagne-Montrachet Chassagne-Montrachet is a commune in the Côte-d'Or department in eastern France.It used to be known under the name Chassagne-le-Haut, but the name was changed to Chassagne-Montrachet by a decrete on November 27, 1879...	White wine
Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée and Grand Cru vineyard for white wine from Chardonnay in the Côte de Beaune subregion of Burgundy. It is located within the commune of Chassagne-Montrachet...	Côte de Beaune	Chassagne-Montrachet	White wine
Le Montrachet	Côte de Beaune	Chassagne-Montrachet	White wine