Fall brings a shift to red wine explorations

Crisp, cool days and nights signal a change in wine reviews. I’m not banishing rosé and whites, just shifting gears into fall-appropriate, medium-bodied reds. I read recently that Burgundy is the red for white wine drinkers. Not sure exactly what that means, since as you my faithful readers are well aware, Burgundy is the name of a department (more or less a geographic region) where wine is derived from many varietal grapes, blends, in many colors, styles, flavors and profiles. Naming Burgundy red makes little sense. Even the ubiquitous Pinot Noir can be made as a white, pink or red wine. For the most part, wine’s color and tannic grip are achieved by process, not solely the color of the grapes’ skin. I’m guessing the comment has to do with the fruitiness and acidity levels plus lighter body found in the prolific Côte Chalonnaise subregion, home to Givry, Mercurey and Rully. Farther south is Maconnais and farther still Beaujolais, whose wine is made of Gamay and known for inexpensive, large-quantity production.

Many folks think of Burgundy as this monolith that produces $1,000 bottles of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. In fact, it is a small but diverse growing region, roughly a narrow strip about 25-by-1.2 miles, with the exception of Chablis, near Auxerre, which is a completely detached enclave (seven Grand Cru climats, about 247 acres) about 80 miles to the north, all located on a SW-facing hill overlooking Chablis. All of the other Burgundian Grand Cru vineyards are located in the Côte d’Or. This area is divided into Côte de Nuits, where 24 of 25 red Grand Cru are found, and Côte de Beaune, where all of the white Grand Cru, except Musigny blanc, are situated. It was by visiting Burgundy that I first truly found an understanding of “terroir.” The difference in soil in the two Côtes is remarkable and easy to observe. In addition, most of the vineyards are located on rounded hills. In many cases, the tops of the hills facing the sun are where Grand Crus are found; the shoulders are often Premier Cru, and the Village is found on the flats and shady sides, further differentiated by sun exposure, which is also obvious, once pointed out to an untrained eye.

Many have written about how Burgundian terroir varies enormously. If you move a hundred meters, you can find a completely different mesoclimate. That in turn produces a completely different wine. Although most imagine Burgundy as being Chard, Pinot Noir, and Beaujolais, those in the know are also aware of Aligoté, the true primary ingredient of the Kir cocktail made with Aligote and black currant liqueur; it is delicious. Before you jump, when made with Champagne, it is named Kir Royale. Finally, Crémant de Bourgogne and Sauvignon Blanc/Sauvignon Gris, mostly from St.-Bris, are also named White Burgundy. St.-Bris only reached AOC status in 2003. Not up to the best Sancerre and some other Loire Valley SBs, but it is about 50-60 percent lower priced. It beats the pants off a lot of the plonk in its $12 price range. Look for Simonnet-Febre Saint-Bris Sauvignon Blanc. These folks also make a delightful Crémant de Bourgogne.

The Nouveaux is almost here! Let me quote Duke Philip the Bold from his decree safeguarding the quality of Burgundy wine in 1395: “This vile and disloyal Gamay is unfit for human consumption,” and he banned the use of organic fertilizer (manure, which was always in short supply back in those days) because it increased yields to the detriment of quality. As you might have expected, the sans-culottes du jour rose with a mighty shout of “Merde!” and the results are still in evidence today. Truth be told, the Burgundy of those days was produced from Fromenteau, similar to Pinot Gris. Pinot Noir was often named Noirien. It was highly regarded; the first major reference was from Gregory of Tours in 591, who compared it as better than Falernian, Rome’s most highly regarded wine. A fine read, written by Claude Arnoux in 1728, describes reds, Oeil de Perdrix and Volnay pink wines from that era. There is little written concerning whites. Another fine read, written in 1855, at the time of Bordeaux classification, is Histoire et Statistique de la Vignes de la Côte D’Or. These were codified into Grand Cru appellations d'origine contrôlées when the national AOC legislation was implemented in 1936. I realize I got into the weeds a bit today. I find reading these histories very fascinating. Be careful with Wiki. It is a good first source, but please verify.