Geography

Burgundy is one of the largest regions in France. Located between the Bassin parisien, the Massif central and the Val de Saône, the region offered 31 000 km² of a huge patchwork of landscapes. Four départements form the Région: Côte-d’Or, Nièvre, Saône-et-Loire, and Yonne.

French people are used to say that Burgundy has all the features of France. Indeed, Burgundy has together with deep forests (the Morvan), 18 rivers with an incredible fauna, hills to produce a wine of high quality (Côte de Nuits, Côte de Beaune…), and grassy plains (the Auxois and the Mâconnais).

This variety of landscapes is the consequence of the variety of soils in Burgundy, for instance, the soil might change depending on the place inside a village. This is the secret reason explaining why the Burgundy’s wines are so complex! The vines grow on limestone and clay soils which are favorable to grapes varieties such as Pinot noir and Chardonnay. On the contrary of some other places, Burgundy has a wide varied agriculture and livestock farming. The Charolais plateau, for example, gives excellent grassy fields which are perfect for the cows. These Charolaise cows are the pride and the richness of the region.

The climate has also an important influence on this geographical diversity. The climate of Burgundy is considered as oceanic with a semi-continental tendency.

The landscapes, the soils, and the climate are the grounds of the richness of Burgundy which is composed by different terroirs that the inhabitants like to name “climat”. These ideal geographical conditions, the local population’s knowledge, and the historical heritage make of Burgundy, a place of exception!