Burgundy is a very elongated wine region in which the wine villages are partly lined up like a string of pearls. Often only a few hundred metres wide in west-east extension, the individual sub-regions extend over up to 50 km in north-south direction on the slopes between plateau and river valley between Paris and Lyon. 28,841 ha (in 2018) for northern Burgundy.
Not far from Paris lies the Chablis area and the lesser known Auxerrois. Directly south of Dijon, the capital of Burgundy, the noblest part begins with the Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune. Further south, the Côte Chalonnaise and the Maconnais follow almost without interruption. The latter not far from Lyon.
The art of wine making has also been cultivated in Burgundy for thousands of years. Even before the Roman invasion, the Celts planted grapes on the protected slopes. The Romans, later the Franks, but above all the powerful Benedictine monasteries in Cluny from 910 and the Cistercians in Vougeot and Cîteaux from 1098, shaped the wine culture. Burgundy wine gained fame through the papal seat in Avignon. Transport to the south via the Saône and Rhône was easy. By cart to Paris almost impossible. Until the French Revolution, the monasteries were in charge of the wine. And the highest quality was already being produced at that time. A continental climate ensures relatively dry summers (towards autumn the harvest can be difficult due to a lot of rain) and warm temperatures. Therefore, early ripening grapes are needed here. Pinot Noir for the red wine and Chardonnay for the white wine.