On July 5, the 1,247 vineyard parcels of Burgundy’s Côte d’Or region, along with the commercial wine center of Beaune and the regional political capital of Dijon, joined the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization World Heritage List.
This prestigious designation recognized the “outstanding universal significance” of Burgundy’s grape-growing and wine-producing traditions developed over centuries and embodied in the concept of terroir.
The decision marks the culmination of eight years of collective efforts by local and regional authorities, a scientific committee, local wine-growers and businesses and o
ver 64,000 individuals with the support committee. From the beginning, Aubert de Villaine, president of the Association of the Climats of Burgundy, led the charge.
Since 1974, de Villaine has served as co-manager of the famed Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, as well as co-owner with his American-born wife, Pamela, of Domaine A.&P. de Villaine in the village of Bouzeron. Throughout the well-documented twists and turns of his long career, de Villaine has followed the polestar of discovering ways to produce wines as authentic expressions of the distinct terroir of each climat (vineyard parcel).
“I believe deeply that Burgundy is the model for the world for growing-grapes based on terroir,” de Villaine said recently. “But we must keep in mind that our climats are living, working tools of the wine-growers. It is not a question of freezing the situation. Rather, we must have the ambition to preserve the values that will allow us to pass along the vineyards in tact to future generations.”
He envisioned UNESCO World Heritage designation as the “best lever” to communicate awareness of this ambition to those outside Burgundy, as well as to the wine-growers working within Burgundy.
“The modern approach is that of shortcuts, disrespect and short-term vision,” de Villaine pointed out. “The World Heritage designation reminds us that Burgundy earned its reputation based on values of respect, patience and long-term vision.”
De Villaine and others continually striving for excellence over the long-term have embraced practical, sustainable approaches.
This encompasses “organic” vineyard practices, such as
using horse-drawn plows on the soils each spring, minimizing the use of chemicals and replacing older vines with selection massale. The latter concept involves grafting replacement vines with cuttings from a selection of the best existing vines within the vineyard. The idea is to preserve diversity and complexity, rather than use single, uniform clonal cuttings genetically engineered to produce reliable quantities of disease-resistant fruit.
In the winery, it means rigorously hand-sorting the fruit prior to fermentation to eliminate unripe or damaged grapes. It entails using native yeasts instead of commercially manufactured yeasts designed to produce consistent, uniform aromas and flavors. Before bottling, it involves clearing the wines naturally over time without synthetic fining and filtering.
In short, the approaches require painstaking manual lab
or and patience geared first and foremost toward producing quality wines expressing the personality of their place of origin — their terroir. The economics and business of the enterprise fall in line thereafter.
To celebrate the UNESCO designation, the Burgundians threw a communal Paulée des Climats — a festive party where attendees shared picnic dinners and bottles of wines.
Host a party of your own enjoying:
The 2011 Domaine Jean Chartron Bourgogne “Clos de la Combe” Chardonnay, France (around $19.00) comes from Chardonnay vines growing in limestone and clay soils and a cool climate similar to the nearby Puligny-Montrachet. Fermentation takes place in oak barrels with 10-percent new wood and the remaining barrels being 1, 2 and 3 years old.
The wine opens with apple, honey and light toasty aromas. Fresh apple and peach flavors layer in a creamy texture balanced by bright acidity and fine tannins carrying though the dry, yet fresh finish. Highly recommended.
The 2010 Domaine Philippe Leclerc
Bourgogne Rouge “Les Bons Bâtons,” France (around $28.00) comes from vines growing near Chambolle-Musigny. Leclerc deftly fermentes and ages the wine with restrained oak influences before bottling without fining or filtering.
The ruddy-garnet color offers dark-cherry, spice and earthy aromas. The wine delivers succulent dark-red fruit flavors and well-integrated spiciness wrapped in fresh acidity and elegant tannins. Highly recommended