Explore Burgundy wine's history, from Cistercian monks of Cîteaux (1098) & Cluny to powerful Dukes. Uncover the roots of key vineyards & Clos de Vougeot.
The monks were mapping a climate that no longer exists. Plots that earned their rank by ripening reliably in a cool era are now the fastest to ripen, and higher, thinner sites that used to be a bad bet get more interesting every vintage. That observation was empirical for a thousand years and has been appellation law since 1936, and appellation boundaries do not get redrawn when the growing season changes.
Burgundy starts to make a lot more sense once you realize the complexity isn’t just terroir. It’s terroir plus politics, inheritance and a thousand years of history all piled onto the same few slopes. Which also explains why learning it can feel mildly punitive haha.
You are obviously very familiar with the research put forth in Jean Francois Bazin and Edward Steves “Sur les pas Des Moines vignerons” published by the Collection Carrée from the Académie de Mâcon.
I am so glad a reasoned description of the influence of the monks is finally making the rounds on social media! It’s about time we go beyond the legendary redux of the Monks discovered terroir! Thank you for posting!
The monks were mapping a climate that no longer exists. Plots that earned their rank by ripening reliably in a cool era are now the fastest to ripen, and higher, thinner sites that used to be a bad bet get more interesting every vintage. That observation was empirical for a thousand years and has been appellation law since 1936, and appellation boundaries do not get redrawn when the growing season changes.
Burgundy starts to make a lot more sense once you realize the complexity isn’t just terroir. It’s terroir plus politics, inheritance and a thousand years of history all piled onto the same few slopes. Which also explains why learning it can feel mildly punitive haha.
You are obviously very familiar with the research put forth in Jean Francois Bazin and Edward Steves “Sur les pas Des Moines vignerons” published by the Collection Carrée from the Académie de Mâcon.
I am so glad a reasoned description of the influence of the monks is finally making the rounds on social media! It’s about time we go beyond the legendary redux of the Monks discovered terroir! Thank you for posting!