A Guide to Burgundy’s Appellations, Climats and Historic Domaines
Written by - Cult Wines Team
Burgundy is one of the most admired wine regions in the world, and also one of the most confusing. Where Bordeaux is understood through its grand châteaux and classified growths, Burgundy works differently: its story is told through villages, tiny vineyard plots, old stone walls, family domaines and the belief that even a few metres of land can change the character of a wine.
The key to it all is place. A wine may come from the wider Bourgogne region, a single village, a named Premier Cru climat or one of the region's Grands Crus, and once you understand the villages and vineyards, the names on the label begin to feel less like a puzzle and more like a map.
Our complete guide walks through the region from north to south: Chablis, the Côte de Nuits, the Côte de Beaune, the Côte Chalonnaise, and the Mâconnais, covering the appellation hierarchy, the climats, and the historic domaines that define each. Whether you are collecting, investing or simply learning, this is your way in.
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News in brief
Pope’s Vineyard Produces First 5,000 Bottles
The Vatican’s two-hectare organic vineyard at Castel Gandolfo has produced its first 5,000 bottles of Cabernet Sauvignon, marking the inaugural vintage from Pope Leo XIV’s sustainable farming project. Located within Vatican City, a duty-free state, the vineyard is farmed using regenerative practices and AI-assisted irrigation, with production expected to rise to around 20,000 bottles annually as the project develops.
France Restricts Alcohol During Heatwave
France temporarily banned alcohol at state-organised events and in public spaces across parts of the country as temperatures approached 42°C during a record heatwave. The measures, introduced to reduce health risks and pressure on emergency services, affected major summer celebrations, including the annual Fête de la Musique, while many of France’s wine regions endured extreme conditions.
Fine Wine Market Shows Signs of Stabilising
Fine wine prices are showing early signs of stabilising after a prolonged downturn, with key Liv-ex indices broadly flat and renewed demand emerging for blue-chip Bordeaux, Champagne and rare wines. Improved buying interest from Asia and strong auction results suggest confidence is gradually returning, although the market remains selective and a full recovery is expected to be gradual rather than immediate.
What we’re drinking
2013 Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru
Jacqueline Lai, Trading & Broking Manager - Cult Wines
Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard is a highly regarded family estate in Chassagne Montrachet, Burgundy, celebrated for crafting elegant, age worthy Chardonnay from some of the region’s most prestigious vineyards. Through a combination of traditional winemaking and careful vineyard management, the Domaine allows each Grand Cru site to showcase its distinct character.
Batard Montrachet, one of Burgundy’s most renowned Grand Cru vineyards, is famed for producing wines of remarkable depth, richness and longevity, balanced by exceptional finesse and mineral precision.
The 2013 vintage of Fontaine Gagnard Batard Montrachet is a refined and highly expressive wine that has matured beautifully with age.
The nose reveals layers citrus peel and orchard fruit, complemented by subtle notes of toasted almonds and chalky minerality. On the palate, it is rich yet beautifully balanced, with flavours of pear, apple and lemon curd supported by vibrant acidity. The finish is long and elegant, reflecting the renowned pedigree of Batard Montrachet.
Our fine wine feature
Wine of Kings, Reinvented: The Dry Furmint Revival of Tokaj
Written by - Alexa Atkinson, Senior Marketing Manager - Cult Wines
Everyone knows Tokaji as the legendary sweet wine of kings and tsars. Almost nobody has noticed that the region quietly stopped being mostly sweet, and that the wines now turning sommeliers' heads are the bone-dry ones.
Seven in every ten bottles Tokaj makes today are dry: taut, mineral whites built on the Furmint grape, grown on volcanic hills, and selling for a fraction of the white Burgundy they're increasingly compared to. For collectors, it may be the most interesting white-wine story in Europe right now. Dig into the cellars, the crus and the producers driving the revival, and put a dry and a sweet Tokaji side by side to see what all the fuss is about.
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Explore & travel
One Hillside, Four Minds: A Week with Burgundy's Quiet Masters
Written by - Tom Gearing, Co-Founder & CEO - Cult Wines
Four of Burgundy's finest producers. One forty-mile slope. And four completely contradictory ideas about how to turn a patch of ground into something unforgettable in the glass.
Explore the Côte d'Or and the people behind some of the region's most coveted wines: Jean Grivot, whose obsession is consistency; Pascal Marchand, who does nothing the same way twice; Dujac, who reads every wine through a single idea; and Pierre-Vincent Girardin, who treats white Burgundy like a science experiment.
Find out what the price lists and scores never tell you. After all, in Burgundy the hand behind the wine matters as much as the ground it grew in.
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