Exploring Burgundy - a journey along my favourite places
Although I generally only drink champagne, there’s one region in France that can make me want to cheat: Burgundy. This is the place where the best Chardonnays of the world are produced, on plots so small you can count the rows of vines on two hands. Burgundy is home to Chablis, Montrachet and Meursault, and with its green hills and views, the region is actually even more beautiful than Champagne. Lots to love, lots to see! In this article, I share my go-to places with you.
Burgundy whereabouts
Just below Champagne-Ardenne, south-east of Paris, you’ll find Burgundy (Bourgogne in French). In fact, it’s so close to the Champagne region that Champagne’s most sourthern sub region Côte des Bar shows much more resemblance to Burgundy than La Montagne de Reims, in terms of terroir. This is what makes Burgundy super interesting for Champagne lovers, as apart from the bubbles, the two regions have a lot in common.
Within Burgundy, there are four sub regions:
Côte-d’Or
Yonne
Nièvre
Saône-et-Loire
The Côte-d’Or is by far the most well-known part, as this is where all the good stuff is. It’s divided into two wine regions (in total, Burgundy has five): Côte de Nuits and Côte de Baune, the latter being the absolute crème de la crème with villages Montrachet and Meursault, which are seen as the absolute epi-centre of divine Burgundy wines.
Beaune is the capital city of the Côte d’Or, and is the ‘Reims of Burgundy’, looking at the many great restaurants and wine shops. This is why my tour through the region starts here.
Stop 1. Beaune
Beaune is a great place to start exploring Burgundy. It’s a nice, friendly town that’s renowned for their Saturday morning market where people sell products from the region. The market takes place in front of Hôtel-Dieu des Hospices de Beaune, which is a beautiful hospice from 1443, once built to treat the ill and poor. Beaune has a large number of great restaurants and hotels, too, so if you prefer city life over country side, you can book your stay here.
Favourite restaurant with amazing wine list: Caves Madeleines
Favourite hotel: Hostellerie Cèdre & Spa Beaune
Favourite thing to do: Doing a tasting at Joseph Drouhin
Stop 2. Puligny-Montrachet
Next up is Puligny-Montrachet, a small village that is home to the best of vineyards - on earth. On the slopes between Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet, you’ll find these world-famous Burgundy vineyards:
Chevalier-Montrachet
Montrachet
Le Montrachet
Batard-Montrachet
These names are very confusing as the villages are called Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet, and the vineyards in between also all use ‘Montrachet’ in their names. To make things more confusing, vineyards are shared amongst multiple wine makers, that all have no more than a few rows. This means scarcity, and scarcity means expensive wines.
As the plots are very small, the vineyards of Puligny-Montrachet make for the perfect exploration tour, either by foot, bike or car. The views are stunning, and often you’ll see wine makers work in the fields, as there’s always something to do.
Favourite restaurant with amazing wine list: Montrachet
Favourite hotel: Como Le Montrachet
Favourite thing to do: Driving or walking passed the vineyards
Stop 3. Meursault
Even hearing the word Meursault makes me want to go there. Its buttery, rich Chardonnays are amongst the best I ever had and the richness of the wines never ceases to amaze me. Just like Puligny-Montrachet, Meursault is a lovely place to go, and offers great views, world famous vineyards and nice restaurants. Don’t skip it, but be quiet. This is a sacred place.
Favourite restaurant with amazing wine list: Le Souflot de Meursault
Favourite hotel: Château & Spa de la Cueillette
Favourite thing to do: having dinner at le Souflot :-)
Stop 4. Pommard
If you’re in Burgundy, don’t miss out on Pommard. This small village lies somewhere between Beaune and Puligny-Montrachet, and is a gem surrounded by vineyards. These vineyards are slightly less famous than the ones further south-west, but its views, hotels and restaurants are to die for. Our very first Burgundy trip started here, and I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to the region.
Favourite restaurant with amazing wine list: Auprès du Clocher
Favourite hotel: La Maison de Pommard
Favourite thing to do: visiting le Château de Pommard
Your turn!
I’ve showed you my favourite places in the region, but it’s only a small portion of everything that Burgundy has to offer. Just go there and do some exploring, and if the many options are overwhelming (I’ve been there), just read through this list. Do you have any questions? You know where to find me.