Ask Jim: Burgundy and Pinot, same same?
Jim Chatto
Leading young winemaker, Jim Chatto
Dear Jim,
I really like Pinot Noir, but so far had only have Australian made ones. Someone told me that “burgundy” was Pinot Noir. Can you give me some advice on choosing international pinot noir and why it’s never listed under the variety name on restaurant wine lists.
– Alan K
The French province of Burgundy, and more precisely the Cote d’Or, is the home of Pinot Noir. Australian makers of Pinot Noir have been, and still are, inspired by the great Pinot Noir wines of Burgundy. That said Burgundy is also probably the most complex wine region in the world. With so many tiny producers across the many tiny appellations it is the most difficult region to give advice on. The only way to even attempt to come to terms with the complexity of Burgundy is to visit, visit, visit, taste, taste, and taste. A good start is to find a couple of books on the subject; Burgundy by Anthony Hanson (Faber & Faber) is a bible to me.
The reason why some restaurants do not list Burgundy by variety is that Pinot Noir from burgundy is not called by the variety but rather the village or more specifically the vineyard from which it is grown. For example all the wines of the village Gevrey-Chambertin are made from Pinot Noir, thus labelling them so is superfluous.
Wines of a particular village are also ranked (in ascending order) as: village, premier cru and grand cru depending on their providence.
To add to the confusion the name of the village often includes the name of its greatest grand cru, as is the case with the famous vineyard of Chambertin in the village of Gevrey-Chambertin. Both the entry-level village wine and the illustrious grand cru wine share the name Gevrey-Chambertin. This can often lead to the uninitiated paying way above the odds for a village wine they assumed held greater stature.
The idea that the site, or terrior, has more to do with the wines personality than does the variety has no greater relevance than in Burgundy.
Choosing wines from Burgundy can be both an expensive and at times disappointing challenge. It is best to start with the producer; in Burgundy many producers can own a part of a particular vineyard with varying results in the bottle. So the choice of producer is paramount. The choice of appellation is also important, as the structured and powerful wines of Pommard are completely different to the ethereal and supple wines of Vosne-Romanee.
Obviously vintage is important, a great vintage like 2005 provides an array of fantastic Burgundy across many producers, appellations and prices. A poor vintage will make finding good wines far more difficult.
One thing I can advise on with confidence is that once you have experienced great Burgundy all else will pale in comparison and your bank balance will never be the same.
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