Besides Bordeaux, France can boast the second most famous wine-growing region in the world, Burgundy. However, while Bordeaux is dominated by the cuvée in the most diverse forms, Burgundy has exactly one white wine variety and one red wine variety, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, which, according to many experts, find their perfection in the hands of great producers. Burgundy begins south of Dijon and stretches as a narrow strip down to Santenay on the border with Beaujolais. It is divided into two parts, the northern Côte de Nuits and the southern Côte de Beaune. The northern part of the "Côte d'Or", as Burgundy is also called, is almost exclusively dominated by red wine. Famous communes such as Fixin, Gevrey-Chambertin or Chambolle-Musigny are strung together like a string of pearls, as are world-famous sites such as Clos de Vougeot, south of Chambolle-Musigny, which is one of Burgundy's best but also most controversial sites. They can all offer Pinot Noir at its finest, which experiences its absolute peak of finesse at the legendary La Romanée vineyard in the commune of Vosne-Romanée. South of this Burgundian monument, the Côte de Beaune begins with the picturesque town of Beaune, home to the hospice of the same name, a monument to French wine culture. Produced from its own vineyards, the hospice auctions off barrels in November on the occasion of the "Jours glorieuses," a major social event for which many celebrities from the worlds of culture and politics travel to Burgundy. Southern Burgundy is more dominated by the white wine of Chardonnay, which here develops an expressiveness that made it the model for many New World winemakers, especially the exclusive wines of the commune of Meursault. The most refined and best Chardonnays come from the communes of Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet, which share, comparable to La Romanée, a legendary vineyard, the famous Montrachet. Then in the communes further south, such as Châlonnais or Mâconnais, there are plainer white as well as red Burgundy for an affordable price.
