Burgundy wines

Ce que dit l'éditeur

Appellation Beaune contrôlée : you could equally see "appellation Beaune premier cru contrôlée" or "appellation contrôlée". One of the three wordings must appear on all bottles of Burgundy (where no vin de pays or table wine is produced).

Clos des Mouches : the name of the particular `climate'. Here we can only tell that it is a premier cru by guessing, as it is not compulsory to state this on the label. Note the difference in size between "Beaune" and "Clos des Mouches". This is because Clos is a well known climate.

Récolte du domaine (estate picked) : indicates that Joseph Drouhin is the owner of the Clos des Mouches and that he has not bought in grapes from other vine growers. The use of the word `domaine' (estate) (as in "mis en bouteille au domaine" -estate bottled) is exclusively reserved for vineyard owners.

Mis en bouteille par (bottled by) :

• «Joseph Drouhin» : indicates a wine trader or a vine grower. To find out whether the wine was bottled by one or the other, you must to look at the green cap : if "récoltant" is written on it, it means that the wine has been bottled by the vine grower. However, bear in mind that a number of caps are customised and no longer show this standard information.
• "Joseph Drouhin, propriétaire-récoltant" (owner/harvester) or "viticulteur" (grower) or "mis en bouteille au château" (château bottled) indicate that the bottler is the owner of the vineyards and that it is a private cellar.
• "Joseph Drouhin, négociant éleveur" : indicates a wine merchant.
• "Cave des Vignerons de Beaune" : indicates a cooperative.

How to serve Burgundy wine

ù Selecting the right glass :

• A rounded glass for reds, to hold in the particularly delicate aromas of pinot noir.
• A narrower glass for whites, to bring out the acidity.

ù Decanting : a word of caution

Pinot noir is a variety with a fragile colour and aromas : an old burgundy is more susceptible to oxidation than a bordeaux. If you decant it, you may end up with a reddish-brown, flat wine. However, oxygen may add life to vintages that age well and often have a closed nose : 1993, 1995 and 1996.

ù Choosing the right temperature.

• 14° to 16° for reds (no more, othenvise the alcohol will overpower the fruit).
• 12° for whites (no less or the aromas will be masked by the soft fullness).