The main wine regions in Burgundy proper (those that are entitled to the AOC Bourgogne designation) are the Côte de Nuits, Côte de Beaune (collectively known as the Côte d'Or or "golden slope") and further south the Côte Chalonnaise. The Route des Grands Crus (which loosely translates as the "road of great vineyards") traverses the Burgundy wine region.

The area is made up tiny villages surrounded by flat and sloped vineyards. The sloped vineyards have the most exposure to sunshine and the greatest drainage. The best wines (Grand Cru) from this region are usually grown from the middle part of the slopes while the "Premier Cru" come from a little less favourably exposed slopes. The relatively ordinary "Village" wines are produced from the flat territory nearer the villages.

Beaujolais, Chablis, and Mâcon are also viticulturally part of Burgundy.

Climate

Burgundy experiences a continental climate characterized by very cold winters and hot summers. The weather is very unpredictable with rains, hail, and frost all possible around harvest time. Because of this climate, there is a lot of variation between vintages from Burgundy.

Wine Characteristics and Classification

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.

Burgundy classifications, in descending order of quality, are: grand crus, premier crus, Commune or village, and finally generic Bourgogne.

• Grand Cru refers to the best wine produced at the best vineyard sites. Grand Cru wines make up 2% of the production at 35 hectoliters/hectare. These wines need to be aged a minimum of 5-7 years, however, can be good when aged up to 15 years. Very few chardonnays in the world can be aged as well as these wines. Grand Cru wines will usually only list the appellation on the wine label.
• Premier Cru wines are excellent, but not as great as the Grand cru wines. Premier Cru wines make up 12% of production at 45 hectoliters/hectare. These wines need to be aged 3-5 years. Premier Cru wines will usually list both the appellation and the vineyard on the wine label.
• Village wines are generally characteristic of the village in which they are produced. Village wines make up 36% of production at 50 hectoliters/hectare. These wines can be consumed 2-4 years after the release date. Village wines will only show the appellation name on the wine label, however, the appellation name is tied to the best Grand Cru vineyard in the appellation.
• AOC Bourgogne classification refers to wines that come from anywhere in the Burgundy region. This classification is where grapes other than Chardonnay and Pinot noir begin to be introduced, allowing Pinot blanc and Pinot gris, two Pinot noir mutations that were traditionally grown and now are in decline in the area. These wines make up the rest of production at 55 hectoliters/hectare. These wines can be consumed up to three years after the vintage date.

Other Burgundy AOCs that are not as often seen are Bourgogne Passetoutgrains (which can contain up to two thirds Gamay (the grape of Beaujolais) in addition to Pinot noir), Bourgogne Aligoté (which is primarily made with the Aligoté grape), and Bourgogne Grand Ordinaire. The latter is the lowest AOC, and Grand definitely refers to the size of the area eligible to produce it, not its quality. There are certain regions that are allowed to put other grapes in miscellaneous AOCs, but for the most part these rules hold. These regulations are even confusing to the majority of French adults, according to research.

Grape Varieties

For the white grapes, Chardonnay (Bourgogne blanc) is the most common. A secondary grape is Aligoté which is lower cost and higher in acidity; this is a very aggressive grape and is grown in small quanties. Aligoté from Burgundy is the wine traditionally used for the Kir drink, where it is mixed with blackcurrant liqueur.

Chablis is produced from 100% Chardonnay grapes.

For the red grapes, all production in Cote d'Or is focused on the Pinot noir grape while the Gamay grape is grown in Beaujolais. In the Cote de Nuits region, 90% of the production is red grapes.