Communes of the Côte-d'Or department

Transcription

♪ MICHAEL: <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>This is the moment of truth in Burgundy.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>A year has passed since the last harvest</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>like thousands more before them.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>No two growing seasons are ever the same.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>The pickers need to act.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>Temperatures are dropping,</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>and the water will swell the grapes,</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>diluting their delicate flavours--</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>or worse, rot or shrivel the leaves.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>This is the drama of winemaking</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>in one of the world's greatest regions...</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>Burgundy.</i></font> ♪ ♪ ♪ MICHAEL: <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>This is one stop along an ancient thoroughfare</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>that ran from Paris down to Lyon and onto Italy.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>Through the centuries,</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>these streets served the wine industry</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>that catered to the wealthy and influential of Europe.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>Travellers share their stories</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>of the great wines of Burgundy</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>and furthered its reputation, which lives on today.</i></font> Beaune, a medieval city that was once the capital of Burgundy. The city's history is preserved at the Hôtel-Dieu. This is a gem of Gothic architecture and symbolic heart of Burgundy's wine business. <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>Wine has been made in this region for millennia,</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>but it was the church and monks of the Middle Ages</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>who classified the growing areas</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>and established Burgundian varietals--</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>Chardonnay for whites, Pinot noir for reds--</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>that are still in use today.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>This program focuses on the red wines of Burgundy,</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>made from a grape that is notoriously difficult to grow</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>but revered by winemakers.</i></font> Pinot noir. It's known as the heartbreak grape. I love Pinot, but it's finicky. Thin-skinned, early-ripening, and it only grows in the cooler winegrowing regions. For the winegrower, it's a high-stakes game. But when everything comes together, it produces some of the most sought-after wines in the world. Pinot noir is grown across the globe; however, this is its home. <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>The early monks observed and codified</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>the specific geological and climatic conditions</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>of Burgundy</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>and cultivated plots of Pinot noir and Chardonnay</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>in small walled vineyards.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>That's why today,</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>Burgundy is still a patchwork of individual plots</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>that have been passed down generation to generation</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>with little change over the centuries.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>The sense of history and place</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>is captured in the Burgundian concept of </i>climat <i>.</i></font> MAN: All these vineyards have been split between hundreds and hundreds of different wineries. You can see the small size of the vineyard, and it's like cooking. You may have the same ingredients, the same recipe, but the result is different. (Speaking in French) MAN: The term of <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>climat</i></font> has always been used to designate a place. A place where you make wine, a place with certain limits, and producing a wine with a certain taste. It explains something about the underground, the exposure, the altitude. But each thing adds something to the expression. MAN: You know, if it grows on rocky soil, the wine has a certain taste. If it's on a clay-y soil with a lot of clay, the taste is different to sun exposures, which is why wine will taste different if it's grown in different places. <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>What I find remarkable about Pinot noir</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>is how, more than any other grape,</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>its expression will change</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>depending on where it is grown.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>It's part of the reason why this small region</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>can produce more than 60,000 different labels each year</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>from only two grape varieties.</i></font> This is beautiful! Yes, well, we are above the village of Pernand-Vergelesses on the plateau called Frétilles, and the vineyard, if you look just underneath here, is called Sous Frétilles. <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>This is wine scholar Jean-Pierre Renard,</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>a Burgundy expert.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>Overlooking the slopes of the Côte de Beaune,</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>you can see the individual vineyard plots.</i></font> When you look here and you see this valley, we have a slope on the right, a slope on the left with different exposure and also with different types of soil and subsoil, you understand that the wine can be a little bit different. If you grow Pinot noir on a very hard, compact limestone soil, it will be very fine and delicate but with a lack of structure. You need clay, you need limestone, you need pebbles. In Burgundy, those parameters change from one metre to the next metre. You look at the soil here and you see this white stone. This is limestone. The roots of the vineyard is in the limestone. When limestone degrades, it becomes clay. And a vineyard loves two things: stones or dry soil and clay. <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>Let me explain how vineyard location</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>can impact quality.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>Burgundy's classification system</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>is based on soil structure, sun exposure,</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>and climatic conditions.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>The vines stretch from the flat areas</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>up the slopes on this limestone escarpment.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>In the flat vineyards,</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>they grow primarily the regional and village wines.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>On the steep hillsides are the Premier Cru wines.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>Here the soils are thinner</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>and the wines take on the specific character</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>of the vineyards.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>The best locations are designated Grand Cru,</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>the finest expression of Burgundy's Pinot noir.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>A lot of people may be intimidated</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>by the choice and abundant variety of wine styles</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>that Burgundy offers.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>The appellation system is the hierarchy</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>of variations in texture, aromas, and flavours.</i></font> Understanding the appellation system for the quality wines of France does not need to be complicated. For the wines of Burgundy, I like to think of a pyramid. At the base level of the pyramid, we have the regional wines: the vins Bourgogne. They can be red or they can be white, and that accounts for about 50 per cent of the total production. Move up a level, we have the village, wines from specific villages. A level higher, it's called Premier Cru. And at the very top of our pyramid, we have Grand Cru, which accounts for only 2 per cent of the total wines produced in the region. ♪ <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>This historic domain in the Côte de Nuits</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>produces arguably the world's greatest wine.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>The </i>climat <i>of this vineyard is perfectly suited</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>for the finicky Pinot noir.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>It's the standard against which all others are judged.</i></font> One of the finest places in the world to grow Pinot noir can be found up here. From a small parcel of land, only a few hundred bottles of wine can be produced each year. This is Romanée-Conti. <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>It was first planted by the Abbey of Saint-Vivant</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>in the Middle Ages</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>and came into possession of the Prince of Conti in 1760.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>He understood its value</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>and kept all the wine for his own consumption.</i></font> AUBERT: This is la Tâche '91. That is one of my preferred children. Santé. Votre santé, votre santé. Votre santé. Merci beaucoup. It's a wine that has 22 years. 22 years. 22 years. Still, it's not old, not old. No, it still has lots of taste. <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>Monsieur Aubert de Villaine is co-director</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>of the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>For over 40 years, he has guided this estate</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>and worked to enhance its reputation.</i></font> AUBERT: It's a grape that was born here. Pinot noir was born in the east of France. We don't know exactly where, but in this area. The first vigneron who used a number of other varieties found out that Pinot, Pinot noir, was the varietal to make fine wines here. So there is a marriage in Burgundy between Pinot noir and the <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>climat </i>.</font> I think that even if there are very good wines made with Pinot noir, no other region can reach the elegance and finesse of what is made here with the grape that is our grape. Married. <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>I've just tasted a wine I love.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>Unfortunately, demand for Burgundy's top wines</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>have exploded</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>and prices have been driven into the stratosphere</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>far beyond my budget.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>You know, for me,</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>price is never a reliable gauge of quality,</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>and this region makes wines at every level.</i></font> ♪ MICHAEL: <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>Burgundy is one of the coolest growing regions</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>in the country, located in east central France.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>It's part of the reason</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>that Pinot noir and Chardonnay thrive here.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>The finest vineyards are laid out</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>along the clay-limestone escarpment</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>called the Côte d'Or.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>The entire region stretches 200 km</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>from Chablis south to Beaujolais.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>But we're concentrating on the Pinot noir vineyards</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>of the Côte de Nuits, Côte de Beaune,</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>and Côte Chalonnaise.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>The French term </i>négociant<i> refers to wine merchants</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>who buy fruit from many small growers</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>and produces wine under their own label.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>Maison Joseph Drouhin is an important négociant</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>in Burgundy,</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>with vineyards in every region.</i></font> Michael, come with me. I will show you a little piece of history in my cellar. So it's Gothic. <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>Frédéric Drouhin represents the fourth generation</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>of a family business founded in 1880.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>Their vast cellars in Beaune</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>architecturally reflect the history of France</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>with some sections dating back to the Romans.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>Their library of fine wines comes from all over Burgundy.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>But I want to know if it's possible</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>to find quality and value here.</i></font> Yes, they're expensive. But Burgundy also offers a good entry door. Simply a Bourgogne rouge, Pinot noir, or Bourgogne blanc or other wines like the Côte de Beaune-Villages, affordable wines which will tell to the customer it's pure Pinot noir, and then it will be a question of personal taste. Do you prefer high wine or rounder wines? We have so many people who think that the only very, very good Burgundy are the most expensive ones. They seem to forget that in Burgundy we also have some village appellation at a very reasonable price. We can produce excellent wine. ♪ <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>The biggest decision of the year for growers</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>is when to harvest.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>Historically,</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>variations in Burgundy's weather year to year</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>resulted in vast quality differences between vintages.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>Just like the rest of the world,</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>viticultural practices and winemaking techniques</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>have improved dramatically over the past decades,</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>and the wines here are now far more consistent.</i></font> (Speaking in French) <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>This is Christophe Bouchard,</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>managing director of one of Burgundy's oldest firms,</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>Bouchard Père & Fils,</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>a </i>négociant <i>and wine producer founded in 1731</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>in the historic Château de Beaune.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>Within the ramparts of this 15th-century fortress</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>are the wine cellars.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>Located seven metres underground,</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>they're ideal for storing and cellaring wines.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>I want to understand the aging potential of Pinot noir,</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>and how the wines evolve over time.</i></font> (Speaking in French) AUBERT: After 15 years, a great Burgundy, a great Côte de Nuits, especially, you are not wrong, usually, when you open the bottle. The wine can wait, can age for much more. Here it's 20 years. I think you can really drink the wine. It's not wrong after--? But it will last for 20 more years. It's beautiful, it's beautiful. Here we are. This is our office. <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>This is Maison Louis Latour,</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>another of Burgundy's long-established</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>vineyard owners and </i>négociants,</font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>dating back to the French Revolution.</i></font> And how long have you been using this building for office? One century and a half. It's like yesterday. You just moved in! We just moved in. <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>Louis-Fabrice Latour is the 11th generation</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>to head the company.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>This historic building was the first purpose-built winery</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>in France,</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>constructed in 1832.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>It has five levels to move the juice by gravity.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>The cellars are carved into the hillsides of Aloxe-Corton,</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>providing perfect aging conditions.</i></font> ♪ <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>His cellars are creepy, damp, and cool.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>Mould clings to every surface.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>I liked exploring these places on my own,</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>uncovering the history and decades of great vintages</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>that lie beneath the vineyard.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>Producing wine--</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>especially from the delicate Pinot noir grape</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>in this cool region of France--</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>requires passion.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>It's not easy, and it tests the resolve</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>of even the most dedicated vineyard owner.</i></font> LOUIS-FABRICE: Pinot noir has always been the most wonderful varietal to grow, but also one of the most challenging. There is a bit of everything in Pinot noir. It's not too much colour; it's not too much tannin; it's not too much acidity; it's not too much power. It's a good combination of finesse, Pinot noir, nice extraction. But to make great Pinot noir does require a lot of effort and a lot of time. It's not easy. What are some of the unique challenges of growing Pinot noir in Burgundy? It's the most northern-growing area to produce red wine, so clearly the challenge is to get ripeness every year. We don't have the sugar that you can get with a Mediterranean climate, but we have more acidity and we have a lot of flavours. When you taste one of those berries of Pinot here, it is like a blackberry or cassis. So really a lot of flavours. <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>The vine is important in Burgundy,</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>but no more so than at the table,</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>where wine and food are equals.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>The essentials of Burgundian cuisine</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>are the abundance of local flavours</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>and fresh ingredients,</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>usually sourced daily and in season.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>For me,</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>Pinot noir is one of the most versatile and food-friendly</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>red wines,</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>and its sensitivity to variation</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>creates subtle differences in texture, aromas, and flavours</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>that I love.</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>Wine culture here is a pursuit of excellence,</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>where vineyards have been divided, classified,</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>and studied,</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>all with the goal of expressing</i></font> <font color="#FFFFFF"><i>the Burgundian concept of </i>climat <i>.</i></font> ♪