Crémant de Bourgogne

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The vineyard stretches approximately 250 kilometres from north to south and encompasses fragmented vineyard areas spread across more than 300 communes.
• In the Yonne and the Châtillonnais, the vines grow on the cuestas of the Paris Basin, on Upper Jurassic sediments, with the exception of the Vézelien (Lower and Middle Jurassic) and the Jovinien (Upper Cretaceous), at altitudes of 150 to 300 metres.
• From Dijon to the outskirts of Lyon, the vines occupy the western edge of the Bresse graben on calcareous or marly substrates dating from the Jurassic and, locally, the Triassic, at altitudes of between 250 and 400 metres.
• In Saône-et-Loire mainly, outcrops of metamorphic and granitic basement rock from the Primary era give rise to acidic soils that support vines.
• The cool oceanic climate of the Burgundy wine region, characterised by moderate rainfall and a mean annual temperature of 11°C, is tempered in the south-east by a foehn effect caused by the Morvan and Charolais hills.

• Producers of sparkling wines formed a trade association as early as 1939, which led in 1943 to the recognition of the controlled designation of origin 'Bourgogne mousseux'.
• The appellation 'Crémant de Bourgogne' was recognised by a decree in 1975 for white and rosé wines, following the introduction in the 1960s by producers of rigorous rules governing harvesting and production.
• Sparkling wines were first produced in 1819 in Nuits-Saint-Georges and then commercialised in 1821 using the méthode champenoise, going on to achieve worldwide renown through international trading posts.
• Each small sub-region of the vineyard has preserved local viticultural practices, such as arc training in the Mâconnais or the pruning style known as 'Chablis' in the Yonne.

• The mousse is fine and persistent, with delicate, long-lasting bubbles.
• The nose often reveals, in the wine's youth, fruity, floral and mineral notes accompanied by a certain freshness, then evolves over time towards more complex secondary and tertiary aromas.

• The cool climate of the geographic area is particularly favourable to the production of sparkling wines, with the soils and expositions preserving the acidity essential to wine quality while ensuring good ripeness of the grapes.
• A limited and indigenous grape variety selection, well adapted to local soil and climatic conditions, contributes to the expression of a range of white and rosé wines sharing characteristics of acidity and fruitiness that lend them a definite elegance.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in France

Sources

• Product specification (BO Agri, PDF), JORF 30 novembre 2018
• Official trade body site — BIVB