Chablis/Auxerois The earliest documentation relating to Chablis dates back to around 510 AD when the first Christian King of the Burgondes built a monastery in the region. When monks settled in Auxerre this assured the success and development of wine cultivation in the region, as is the case for most wine production throughout Burgundy. Chablis is one of the best known wines in the UK but a fraction of the "I don't like Chardonnay Brigade" know that Chablis is made with the Chardonnay grape! This is not the only white grape found in the area though, suprisingly the Auxerois is home to Burgundy's only Sauvignon appellation at St Bris.
Cote De Nuits White The Cote De Nuits is more famous for its
red Burgundy wines
than its whites although Morey St Denis produces some exceptional white wines, one of the best producers being Domaine Dujac. Nuits St Georges is home to some white production too but the majority of vineyards consist of the 'Princely' Pinot Noir grape. The Haute Cote De Nuits is responsible for a considerable amount of Chardonnay production and pockets of Aligote.
Cote De Beaune White The home to the most prestigious Chardonnay vineyards in the world, procucing the best Chardonnay that the planet has to offer. The five vineyards of Montrachet settling between the two villages of Puligy Montrachet and Chassagne Montrachet produce the most sought after fine white wines but the rest of the region produces excellent white wines. The Cote De Beaune offers a wine selection of styles of white Burgundy, wine from Santenay Blanc and Meursault in the south to
Pernand Vergelesses
and Corton Charlemagne in the north. All you Chardonnay shirkers out there should try some of these great Burgundy wines before declaring "I don't like Chardonnay".
Cote Chalonais The Cote Chalonais offers some great value white Burgundy wines such as Rully 1er Cru, Montagny 1er Cru and Mercurey 1er Cru. The village of Bouzeron, (not a retirement enclave for alcoholic wine makers) is the only Aligote appellation in the whole of Burgundy.
Macon There are 43 villages which could technically put the name of the village after the word 'Macon' on their wine label, but in real terms a good number of those villages are a part of a larger co-operative, such as the one at Lugny. There is also speculation that the Maconais is home to the origins of Chardonnay itself, as there is a village called Chardonnay. What we do know is that there was a magnificent abbey at Clugny, and the Cistercian Monks were heavily repsonsible for the cultivation of wine-growing throughout Burgundy.
