If you are thinking about Pinot Noir or Chardonnay, it is therefore impossible
not to associate these two grapes with a specific area of Burgundy, with a name
full of promise and of good auspice: Côte d'Or. Despite its literally
translation is Gold Slope, indeed its name is the abbreviation of
Côte d'Orient, that is Eastern Slope. Côte d'Or includes four
wine areas, of which the most important and famous ones are Côte de
Nuits and Côte de Beaune. Despite these two areas are famous for their
Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wines, Côte de Nuits, in the northern part of Côte
d'Or, is mainly known for its Pinot Noirs, whereas Côte de Beaune, in the
southern part, is mainly known for its Chardonnays, although it should be
remembered in this area are produced excellent Pinot Noirs as well. In the
Côte d'Or are also defined two other wine areas: Châtillon - north from the
Côte de Nuits - and the Hautes-Côtes, defined both for the Beaune and Nuits
areas.
Côte d'Or, despite its small area covering a narrow strip of territory about
50 kilometers long (about 31 miles), is the most famous wine area of Burgundy
and among the most renowned ones of France. The cultivation of vine and the
production of wine in these lands is dated back to ancient times. When ancient
Romans came to Burgundy in 51 BC, the territory was already occupied by Celts
who practiced viticulture and therefore the production of wine. Archaeological
researches in these areas suggest the production of wine in Burgundy was
practiced since 200 BC. Wine was however an important element even at those
times, besides the findings of ancient local wine amphoras, archaeological
diggings have allowed the finding of Etruscan amphoras, a sign of the commercial
activity of the ancient people from central Italy in these lands. The first
written evidences about Burgundian wine are dated back to 312 AD.
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| The Côte d'Or |
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Burgundian wine and its quality are mentioned in 591 AD, in a writing of Gregory
of Tours who in his History of Franks, wrote in the hills west from Dijon
were produced such noble wines which could be compared to Falerno, one of the
most praised and famous wines at those times. During the dominion of
Charlemagne, viticulture and production of wine in Côte d'Or lived high
moments of splendor, in particular thanks to the activity of Benedictine monks.
Despite the vine was cultivated in every place, the privileged conditions of
monasteries, in particular the availability of underground cellars suited for
keeping, allowed monks to excel, in a systematic and methodic way, in the
production of wine: their contribution in wine making, here as it was
everywhere, has been fundamental. The first monks to buy vineyards were the
Benedictines of Cluny. With the building of the abbey of Cluny in 910 AD, the
monastic order spread in the main European countries, and the interest for vine
and wine was always a characteristic that came with them.
Thanks to the donations of nobles and well-offs, in 1273 the abbey of Cluny
owned all the vineyards around Gevrey. Another abbey who owned famous vineyards
was the one of St.-Vivant. In 1232 the duchess of Burgundy gave to this abbey
the famous vineyards of Romanée-Conti. La Romanée, La Tâche, Richebourg and
Romanée-St-Vivant: vineyards which are still today considered among the most
prestigious ones in Côte d'Or. The abbey of St.-Vivant also owned vineyards in
Pommard, Auxery and Santenay. Another monastic order which played a fundamental
role in viticulture and in the wine making of Burgundy was the one of
Cistercians, founded in the city of Cîteaux, not very far from
Nuits-St-George. Their first vineyard was acquired in 1098, thanks to the
donation of the duke of Burgundy and, despite the order practiced austerity and
asceticism, they soon began to acquire vineyards. In 1336 Cistercians owned vast
vineyards in the areas of Vougeot, Beaune, Chambolle, Fixin and Pommard. In
particular, they built a wall encircling their vineyards at Vougeot, therefore
giving origin to the renowned Clos de Vougeot.
Thanks to the work of Cistercian monks - done with a scrupulous activity of
experimentation and comparison - they finally arrived to the concept of
terroir, which is kept in a high consideration by French vintners, as
well as the study of the differences among the many crus. Up to the
fifteenth century, because of the difficulties of transportation, which in these
lands could be done by land only, the most famous wines of Côte d'Or - and of
Burgundy - were the ones from the Beaune area. The wines which seemed to be
successful were the ones produced in the areas near the rivers: the ease with
which they could be transported represented a huge advantage. The notoriety of
Côte d'Or and Burgundy wines increased in the twelfth century, when pope
Clemente V moved the papal court to Avignon. The request for wines from Beaune -
that is wines from Burgundy - increased and with that their prestige as well,
and they were soon considered to be second to nothing. Another important
event which contributed to increase the prestige of the wines from this region,
was the predilection the dukes of Burgundy had for them. it is right to this
period the first mention of Pinot Noir is dated back, at those times called
Noirien.
it is more likely, the wines produced at those times in Burgundy were made with
Formenteau grape, a variety today considered the ancestor of Pinot Gris.
Chardonnay - which is today the most representative and common grape in Burgundy
- will enter the wine scene of the region during the Middle Age only. It should
be noticed at those times, wines were generally consumed during the first year
from harvesting, therefore there was no custom of aging wines. The fame of
Côte de Nuits wine was already high in 1728, as it was mentioned in Claude
Arnoux's Dissertation on the situation of Burgundy, in which are mentioned
the rose wines of Volnay, whereas white wines from Côte de Beaune are
marginally mentioned. The notoriety of Côte d'Or was stopped in 1878, when in
vineyards arrived phylloxera. In 1855, Dr. Lavalle published his History and
statistics of Côte d'Or in which was included an informal classification of
the best vineyards. His work was formalized in 1861 when it was introduced the
classification of vineyards in three categories. Finally, in 1930, with the
introduction of the Appellation Côntrolée system, the current
classification of Burgundy and Côte d'Or wines was introduced.
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