From Meursault and further South, white wines excel, contrasting with the vineyards to the North, where red wines dominate.
Brought to prominence by the monks of Citeaux in the XII century, the vineyards spread over the hillside and are dotted with small dwellings called «folies» in Meursault.
The Meursault Appellation d’Origine Contôlée was introduced in 1937. It includes more than 40 Climats in Meursault Village appellation and 15 Climats classified as Premier Cru, of which the best-known are: Genevrières, Charmes, Perrières, Gouttes d’Or or Blagny, a former estate of the Abbaye de Maizières that became a famous Climat. Most of the production of Meursault is white wine, but the village also produces a small quantity of red wine.
Wine tasting
Caveua de Pouligny-Montrachet offers wine tastings for 30€ / person for 6 wines: 4 whites & 2 reds
Good to know:
The Climats, Terroirs of Burgundy, are inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List as a “cultural landscape”, representing the “combined works of nature and man”. The Climats are regarded as the worldwide model of terroir-based viticulture.
In Burgundy, the Climats are precisely delineated and named plots of vines, forming a vineyard. They are the result of 2,000 years of history during which winegrowers patiently identified and ranked the different plots of vines, meticulously tinkering wine production to its place of origin, or terroir, to create a Climat. The extreme diversity of the local topography and geology has resulted in an incredibly precise mosaic of 1,247 Climats, including some illustrious names such as Romanée Conti, Clos de Vougeot, Montrachet, Corton…
With the know-how of the winegrowers, each Climat produces a wine with specific taste characteristics and accordingly placed in the hierarchy of crus, recognized in 1935 by the Appellation d’Origine Contrôlée (AOC) system.
Over a ten-century-long period, Benedictine and Cistercian monks, the Dukes of Burgundy, wine merchants, and winegrowers have established the excellence, reputation, and protection of Burgundy wines. This has given rise to a strong local culture, economy, and remarkable architectural heritage.
