More about different classes of Burgundy wine

July 2, 2010

Philippines Wine Shop Clark Wine Center is pleased to share with you articles, news and information about wine, wine events, wine tasting and other topics related to wine and the appreciation of wine.

Burgundy is in some ways the most terroir-oriented region in France; immense attention is paid to the area of origin, and in which of the region’s 400 types of soil a wine’s grapes are grown. As opposed to Bordeaux, where classifications are producer-driven and awarded to individual chateaux, Burgundy classifications are geographically-focused. A specific vineyard or region will bear a given classification, regardless of the wine’s producer. This focus is reflected on the wine’s labels where appellations are most prominent and producer’s names often appear at the bottom in much smaller text.
The main levels in the Burgundy classifications, in descending order of quality, are: Grand crus, Premier crus, village appellations, and finally regional appellations:
• Grand Cru wines are produced from the small number of the best vineyard sites in the Côte d’Or, as strictly defined by the AOC laws. Grand Cru wines make up 2% of the production at 35 hectoliters per hectare. These wines are generally produced in a style meant for cellaring, and typically need to be aged a minimum of 5–7 years. The best examples can be kept for more than 15 years. Grand Cru wines will only list the name of the vineyard as the appellation – such as Corton or Montrachet – on the wine label, plus the Grand Cru term, but not the village name.[6]
• Premier Cru wines are produced from specific vineyard sites that are still considered to be of high quality, but not as well regarded as the Grand Cru sites. Premier Cru wines make up 12% of production at 45 hectoliters/hectare. These wines often should be aged 3–5 years, and again the best wines can keep for much longer. Premier Cru wines are labelled with the name of the village of origin, the Premier cru status, and usually the vineyard name, for example, “Volnay 1er Cru Les Caillerets”. Some Premier Cru wines are produced from several Premier Cru vineyards in the same village, and do not carry the name of an individual vineyard.
• Village appellation wines are produced from a blend of wines from supposedly lesser vineyard sites within the boundaries of one of 42 villages, or from one individual but non-classified vineyard. Wines from each different village are considered to have their own specific qualities and characteristics, and not all Burgundy communes have a village appellation. Village wines make up 36% of production at 50 hectoliters/hectare. These wines can be consumed 2–4 years after the release date, although again some examples will keep for longer. Village wines will show the village name on the wine label, such as “Pommard”, and sometimes – if applicable – the name of the single vineyard or climat where it was sourced. Several villages in Burgundy have appended the names of their Grand Cru vineyards to the original village name – hence village names such as “Puligny-Montrachet” and “Aloxe-Corton”.
• Regional appellation wines are wines which are allowed to produced over the entire region, or over an area significantly larger than that of an individual village. At the village, Premier Cru and Grand Cru level, only red and white wines are found, but some of the regional appellations also allow the production of rosé and sparkling wines as well as wines dominated by other grape varieties than Pinot Noir or Chardonnay. These appellations can be divided into three groups:
o AOC Bourgogne, the standard or “generic” appellation for red or white wines made anywhere throughout the region, and represent simpler wines which are still similar to the village. These wines may be produced at 55 hectoliters/hectare. These wines are typically intended for immediate consumption, within 3 years after the vintage date.
o Subregional (sous-régional) appellations cover a part of Burgundy larger than a village. Examples are Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune, Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits and Mâcon-Villages.[9] Typically, those communes which do not have a village appellation, do have access to at least one subregional appellation. This level is sometimes described as intermediate between AOC Bourgogne and the village level.
o Wines of specific styles or other grape varieties include white Bourgogne Aligoté (which is primarily made with the Aligoté grape), red Bourgogne Passe-Tout-Grains (which can contain up to two thirds Gamay) and sparkling Crémant de Bourgogne.

Chablis wines are labeled using a similar hierarchy of Grand Cru, Premier Cru and Village wines, plus Petit Chablis as a level below Village Chablis, whereas wines from Beaujolais are treated differently again.
In general, producers are always allowed to declassify their wine in steps to a lower ranked AOC if they wish to do so. Thus, a wine from a Grand Cru vineyard may be sold as a Premier Cru from that vineyard’s village, a Premier Cru wine may be sold as a Village wine and so on. This practice will almost invariably mean that the declassified wine will have to be sold at a lower price, so this is only practiced when there is something to be gained overall in the process. One motive may be to only include vines of a certain age in a Grand Cru wine, in order to improve its quality and raise its prestige and price, in which case the wine coming from younger vines may be sold as a Premier Cru at a lower price. Overall, such a practice may allow a producer to keep a higher average price for the wine sold.
In total, there are around 150 separate AOCs in Burgundy, including those of Chablis and Beaujolais. While an impressive number, it does not include the several hundred named vineyards (lieux-dits) at the Village and Premier Cru level which may be displayed on the label, since at the Village and Premier Cru level; there is only one set of appellation rules per village. The total number of vineyard-differentiated AOCs that may be displayed is well in excess of 500

List of Grand Crus
Grand Cru Region Village Wine style
Chablis Grand Cru Chablis Chablis White wine
Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Côte de Nuits Gevrey-Chambertin Red wine
Charmes-Chambertin Côte de Nuits Gevrey-Chambertin Red wine
Chapelle-Chambertin Côte de Nuits Gevrey-Chambertin Red wine
Griotte-Chambertin Côte de Nuits Gevrey-Chambertin Red wine
Latricières-Chambertin Côte de Nuits Gevrey-Chambertin Red wine
Le Chambertin Côte de Nuits Gevrey-Chambertin Red wine
Mazis-Chambertin Côte de Nuits Gevrey-Chambertin Red wine
Mazoyères-Chambertin Côte de Nuits Gevrey-Chambertin Red wine
Ruchottes-Chambertin Côte de Nuits Gevrey-Chambertin Red wine
Bonnes-Mares Côte de Nuits Morey-Saint-Denis Red wine
Clos de la Roche Côte de Nuits Morey-Saint-Denis Red wine
Clos des Lambrays Côte de Nuits Morey-Saint-Denis Red wine
Clos de Tart Côte de Nuits Morey-Saint-Denis Red wine
Clos Saint-Denis Côte de Nuits Morey-Saint-Denis Red wine
Bonnes-Mares Côte de Nuits Chambolle-Musigny Red wine
Le Musigny Côte de Nuits Chambolle-Musigny
Clos de Vougeot Côte de Nuits Vougeot Red wine
Échezeaux Côte de Nuits Flagey-Echézeaux Red wine
Grands Échezeaux Côte de Nuits Flagey-Echézeaux Red wine
La Grande Rue Côte de Nuits Vosne-Romanée Red wine
La Romanée Côte de Nuits Vosne-Romanée Red wine
La Tâche Côte de Nuits Vosne-Romanée Red wine
Richebourg Côte de Nuits Vosne-Romanée Red wine
Romanée-Conti Côte de Nuits Vosne-Romanée Red wine
Romanée-Saint-Vivant Côte de Nuits Vosne-Romanée Red wine
Corton-Charlemagne Côte de Beaune Pernand-Vergelesses White wine
Charlemagne Côte de Beaune Ladoix-Serrigny White wine
Corton-Charlemagne Côte de Beaune Ladoix-Serrigny White wine
Le Corton Côte de Beaune Aloxe-Corton Red wi
Corton-Charlemagne Côte de Beaune Aloxe-Corton
Bâtard-Montrachet Côte de Beaune Puligny-Montrachet White wine
Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Côte de Beaune Puligny-Montrachet
Chevalier-Montrachet Côte de Beaune Puligny-Montrachet White wine
Le Montrachet Côte de Beaune Puligny-Montrachet White wine
Bâtard-Montrachet Côte de Beaune Chassagne-Montrachet White wine
Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet Côte de Beaune Chassagne-Montrachet White wine
Le Montrachet Côte de Beaune Chassagne-Montrachet White wine

Source: http://www.bordeauxtrader.com/burgundy.php

Clark Wine Center was built in 2003 by Hong Kong-based Yats International Leisure Philippines to become the largest wine shop in Philippines supplying Asia’s wine lovers with fine vintage wines at attractive prices. Today, this wine shop in Clark Philippines offers over 2000 selections of fine wines from all major wine regions in the world. As a leading wine supplier in Philippines, Pampanga’s Clark Wine Center offers an incomparable breadth of vintages, wines from back vintages spanning over 50 years. Clark Wine Center is located in Pampanga Clark Freeport Zone adjacent to Angeles City, just 25 minutes from Subic and 45 minutes from Manila.

Residents of Pampanga Angeles City, Subic, Tarlac and Clark Philippines know of this wine shop as one of the best places in Clark, a good night out place and simply the best place to hang out, enjoy some good wine with cheese on the roof deck with good atmosphere, or just relax and unwind with friends and family in a cool place. This wine shop in Clark Pampanga is recognized by many to be one of the best places to buy fine vintage wine in the Philippines. Located near Mimosa Leisure Estate surrounded by golf courses, resorts and a casino, this well known wine shop is frequently visited for its good selection of wine not available in Manila or Subic. Clark Wine Center is open 7 days a week from 10am to 8pm. Private dinners, wine tastings and group gatherings can be organized by advanced reservation.

Foodies and wine lovers travel north from Manila to wine and dine at Philippines’ best fine dining restaurant in Pampanga Clark Freeport worth the 60-minutes drive for a memorable evening of good food with vintage wine at Yats Restaurant & Wine Bar. Most guests would stop by this famous wine shop called Clark Wine Center to bring home a few good bottles of fine vintage wine also. Other visitors may find the wine selections in some of the restaurants in Angeles City Pampanga to be less than interesting, so they stop by this wine shop near Angeles City Pampanga Clark Philippines, buy some good wines and bring these bottles of good vintage wines to the restaurants so they can enjoy the dinner.

Wines from Burgundy, Bordeaux, Rhone, Loire, Spain, Portugal, Germany, Austria, Alsace, USA, Australia, New Zealand, Italy, South Africa, Chile and Argentina etc. are well represented in this Clark Wine Shop.

This is one of the frequently visited places for wine lovers from Manila and Angeles City to buy international wines in Pampanga.

http://www.ClarkWineCenter.com

Getting to this wine shop in Pampanga Angeles City Clark Freeport Zone Philippines from Manila
Getting to the Clark Wine Center wine shop from Manila is quite simple: after entering Clark Freeport from Dau and Angeles City, proceed straight along the main highway M A Roxas. Clark Wine Center is the stand-along white building on the right, at the corner A Bonifacio Ave. From the Clark International Airport DMIA, ask the taxi to drive towards the entrance of Clark going to Angeles City. From Mimosa, just proceed towards the exit of Clark and this wine shop is on the opposite side of the main road M A Roxas.

Best place to buy wine in Clark Pampanga outside Manila near Subic and Angeles City Philippines is Clark Wine Center.

Click here to contact Clark Wine Center in Clark Pampanga for inquiries and orders.

Clark Wine Center
Bldg 6460 Clark Observatory Building
Manuel A. Roxas Highway corner A Bonifacio Ave,
Angeles Clark Freeport Zone, Pampanga 2023
0922-870-5173 0917-826-8790 (ask for Ana Fe)

Wine@Yats-International.com

YATS Wine Cellars
Manila Sales Office
3003C East Tower, Phil Stock Exchange Center,
Exchange Rd Ortigas Metro Manila, Philippines 1605
(632) 637-5019 0917-520-4393 ask for Rea or Chay

Wedding couples looking for wedding reception venues and beach wedding venues can log on to this Philippines Wedding Venue web site for free information and assistance:

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While in Clark, it might be a good idea to enjoy an evening of wine-and-dine in the fine dining Yats Restaurant and Wine Bar that features an award winning 2700-line wine list. Highly recommended fine dining restaurant in Manila for special occasion is Yats Restaurant & Wine Lounge located in the famous Mimosa Leisure Estate in Clark Pampanga. Situated near this popular restaurant in Clark is the Mimosa Golf Course as well as the Mimosa Clark Casino. This top rated restaurant near Angeles City Pampanga in Clark Philippines is frequently used for private parties and corporate functions such as board meetings and other gatherings. It is located in Mimosa Leisure Estate of Clark Freeport Zone. For more information, visit http://www.YatsRestaurant.com

YATS Leisure Philippines is a developer and operator of clubs, resorts and high-class restaurants and wine shops in Clark Angeles Philippines http://www.YatsLeisure.com

Looking for famous tourists spots, places to visit and see, relax and unwind in Clark, Pampanga, Philippines? You may want to check out these sites also:

http://www.LondonPubClark.com

Besides good restaurants to wine and dine near Manila, Subic or in Angeles City Pampanga, Clark Philippines, those requiring assistance for hotel and resort bookings in Clark, Pampanga, Philippines may log on to http://www.HotelClarkPhilippines.com for more information and reservations.

The lifestyle in Clark Pampanga is quite unique. For more information about shopping, sports, golf, leisure, hotel accommodation, where to see and visit, what to do, where to wine and dine and good places to hang out, relax, have a drink with friends, child-friendly establishments, log on to
http://www.ClarkPhilippines.com

Wine lovers looking for a special bottle or something that is of great value and special discounts might log on to this web site to shop for fine vintage wines
http://www.YatsWineCellars.com

Those visitors who plan to relax and unwind in Angeles City, Subic, Pampanga, Clark Philippines might make an effort to book a room at the famous beach and lake resort Clearwater Resort & Country Club. This famous hotel in Clark Pampanga is frequently visited by families with children looking for a good place in Clark to see, a good holiday destination for the family to relax and unwind in the beautiful outdoor facilities. For more information, log on to www.ClearwaterPhilippines.com