Myth or Mystery: Burgundy is Pinot Noir or Chardonnay only

Burgundy is all about terroir. Each wine carries the unmistakable imprint of the region, yet no two are ever quite the same. Villages just a few kilometers apart produce wines with entirely different personalities—shaped by the soil, the slope, the climate, and the hand that tends the vines. It’s a place where tradition and nature work together, creating wines that are deeply connected yet undeniably distinct.

The region is known for its ability to produce fine wines that are completely different in style despite being from villages just a few kilometers apart. This is due to the region's rich geological mosaic of soils and bedrock and its length, ranging from the frosty north of Chablis to the borders of Beaujolais in the south. Coupled with this are its changeable vintages (the difference between 2021 and 2022, for example!).

In contrast with this range of geographies and wine styles, when first learning about Burgundy, you’re told that at least all the red wines are made with Pinot Noir and the whites with Chardonnay. Easy, right?

Unfortunately, it's a little more complicated.

The 'peasant' varieties

Chardonnay and Pinot Noir make up about 80% of vines planted in the region. When thinking of the great wines and venerable villages (Gevrey-Chambertin, Puligny-Montrachet) and 1er/Grand Crus, these will all be Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. But there are others that are worth knowing about.

The best known of the alternative grape varieties in recent years is Aligoté—a newly fashionable underdog white variety, traditionally seen as the ‘peasant’ alternative to Chardonnay. It's very difficult to put into words the material difference between an Aligoté wine and a Chardonnay. As a rule of thumb, expressions of Aligoté tend to be lighter with slightly higher acidity. But at a fundamental level, it is, like Chardonnay, a fantastic chameleon of a variety that is great at reflecting the terroir on which it's grown. There are also plenty of Aligotés that are anything but light. The Nerthus Aligoté from Roblet-Monnot is rich and full-bodied, still with a core of zingy citrus to complement its spoken barrel-aged character. In contrast, the Aligoté from Buisson-Battault in Meursault is notably more nimble than the Chardonnays of the same house while still reflecting that light creaminess typical of that village.

In the red corner, there’s a peasant alternative too—Gamay. Better known as the staple variety in neighboring Beaujolais, you’ll find amazing examples both as part of blends, as in the Des Lyres from Roblet-Monnot, where it softens the Pinot Noir and adds a bright berry character, and as a varietal expression, as in the Mâcon Cruzille Rouge from Julien Guillot—the 2019 vintage of which is aging gracefully, becoming more mineral and savory at once.

Both Gamay and Aligoté were torn up in great quantities in the latter half of the 20th century to make room for the more profitable Pinot and Chardonnay, but luckily, both drinkers and growers have a renewed interest in cultivating these native varieties.

The islands

Within Burgundy, there are also a few villages that produce a completely unusual variety. Think of these as ‘islands’ that defy their surroundings! For example, around the town of Irancy in the north, you’ll find a little-known variety called César, a darker, more tannic alternative to Pinot and Gamay. These aren’t widely exported, and we don’t have an example at Emile Wines yet.

In the village of St-Bris, between Chablis and the Côte d’Or, you’ll find a more familiar variety, albeit not usually associated with Burgundy. Here, the main white variety is Sauvignon Blanc, and the Exogyra Virgula from Domaine Goisot is a great example. Generally far less grassy and green than its Loire Valley counterpart, the aromatics are more delicate and call to mind fresh ginger and a hint of white asparagus. It’s a perfect pairing with fish, particularly teriyaki salmon. While Sauvignon, César, Pinot Beurot, Sacy, Melon, and a few other minor varietals exist and are becoming more fashionable, these do admittedly make up a small amount of the total wine production in the region.

Combined, the above varieties make up just 0.9% of vines planted (0.6% of which is Sauvignon around St-Bris).

The renegades

Bear in mind that while winemakers are only permitted to label their wines as a wine of Bourgogne if they use the permitted varieties, winemakers can still technically plant whatever they like. They simply have to be confident enough to label their wine as simply ‘Vin de France.’ And thank god for these renegades because there are some phenomenal wines being produced in Burgundy under this category! Claire Naudin, for example, is best known for her fabulous bottlings under her family’s Naudin-Ferrand label and the more experimental BiNaume range. She produces a wine every year entirely made from Pinot Blanc, a variety better known in Alsace than Burgundy. Specifically, this is a Burgundian mutation of Pinot Blanc, which deviated from the more common Pinot Noir and was cultivated in the 1930s. Claire believes strongly enough in this variety to have a plot in the Hautes-Côtes, which produces Galanthus Nivalis Pinot Blanc VdF each year. We’re lucky enough to have vintages of these wines back to 2017, and it’s really only with 5+ years of age that these wines begin to shine. A grapefruit acidity is rounded out by a pasty tanginess. Best decanted and enjoyed slowly with a mackerel pâté or a selection of soft cheeses.

Some people are even combining the disparate traditions of winemaking and the more proletarian brewing in the region. Maison Romane is a fabulous micro-négociant project that produces a range of elegant wines from Marsannay to Gevrey-Chambertin. Oronce’s Mousses Sauvages Aligoté 2021, however, is a gorgeous chimera of a beverage, combining a barrel-aged saison beer as a base and re-fermenting it with Aligoté juice before aging for nine months in foudres. It drinks like something between a lambic beer and a well-made méthode ancestrale wine—exemplary of how a lower ABV needn't mean a reduction in concentration or intensity! I love this as an alternative to wine at lunch or as a refreshing aperitif.

Lastly, even those winemakers using the popular Chardonnay can still find ways to produce a wine unlike its peers through the winemaking process used. Julien Guillot, ever the experimenter and Renaissance man, has produced a skin-contact Chardonnay in the Mâconnais! His Bourgogne Blanc Macération comes from a plot of vines that are around 40 years old, on clay-limestone soils. The maceration on skins lasts 13 days, and the wine is then aged in foudres for 24 months. The result is an ageworthy and serious orange wine in the tradition of the wines of Friuli or Kakheti. Rich and nutty, it demands some sort of tangy cheese, like an aged Comté.

Conclusion

Burgundy’s wines are often presented as a simple dichotomy—Pinot Noir for reds, Chardonnay for whites—but the reality is far more complex and fascinating. The region’s diverse geology, shifting vintages, and centuries of winemaking tradition have fostered a surprising variety of grapes and styles. While Pinot Noir and Chardonnay dominate, the resurgence of Aligoté and Gamay, the rare pockets of César and Sauvignon Blanc, and the daring experiments of renegade winemakers all contribute to Burgundy’s endless intrigue. Whether you’re exploring a classic Grand Cru or an offbeat Vin de France, the wines of Burgundy continue to surprise, challenge, and delight those who seek them out.