France

Rully is best known for easy drinking whites that show the same basic structure as the wines from the Côte d’Or while lacking the depth and power. Mercurey is located south of Rully. This is the best-known village for Pinot in the Côte Chalonnaise, and has a large number of Premiers Crus. Givry is another village best known for Pinot, where good values can be found. Montagny produces only whites from Chardonnay, with several very good Premiers Crus.

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The Mâconnais is an area spread over a series of limestone and granite hills facing more or less east along the river Saône. The soil is limestone atop granite, and the climate is warmer here than in the rest of Burgundy, but it is still fairly continental, with big seasonal swings. Mâcon Chardonnay is well structured and often well made, but sometimes rather simple. Mâcon-Villages is a step up, and covers 42 communes, including Clesse, Chardonnay, La Roche Vineuse, Vire and Lugny.

Saint-Veran is in the south of the area where Mâcon and Beaujolais meet. Pouilly Fuisse is the most famous wine from this area, but some St. Verans can be great values as well. The best are grown on limestone and granite soils with a southern exposure and provide crisp green apple fruit with a certain minerality and moderate depth of flavor.

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Beaujolais is the southernmost region of Burgundy. Although the image of the region suffers somewhat from the ocean of nouveau that flows forth each year, this area can be the home to delicious and fruity reds that complement the hearty bistro cuisine of Lyon very nicely.

The best sites are planted on steep slopes, with a thin layer of topsoil over a granite-based subsoil. The Gamay grape is naturally soft in tannin and acids with a pronounced grapey fruit character. This character is accentuated when the wines are fermented using carbonic maceration.

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In carbonic maceration, whole clusters are placed in the tank and covered with carbon dioxide without crushing. After several days, a form of fermentation begins to take place within the grape. After the wine has fermented for a period from few days to two weeks, the tank is opened, the grapes crushed, and fermentation continues in the normal way. The resultant wine is aggressively fruity, often showing a characteristic aroma of bananas. The color of wine fermented by carbonic maceration is very deep and the tannins are very soft.

Another winemaking technique used in Beaujolais is thermovinification, where the must is heated prior to fermentation in order to extract more color. This has the disadvantage of giving the wines a cooked or jammy fruit character.

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The best Beaujolais is not produced in this fashion, however. The finest Gamays are produced in the same way as the best red Burgundies. Wine is largely produced in this traditional way in the communes referred to as the Beaujolais Crus, which include: St. Amour, Julienas, which is more structured, and Chenas. Wines from Moulin-à-Vent are among the richest of the area as are those from Morgon. Many wines from Fleurie are fairly light and easy drinking, as well as those from Regnie, Brouilly and Côte de Brouilly.

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