A Year in Burgundy Page #2

These massive churches-

this is the abbey at Tournus-were built

in the Roman style.

The priests and monks

who presided over them

preserved much of the Roman knowledge

of fine living and wine

for more than 1000 years.

One small collection of buildings has survived,

incredibly,

from the medieval

wine industry in Burgundy.

This is Clos de Vougeot,

headquarters of wine-making for

the Cistercian monks.

This was wine production

on a heroic scale.

The vast wooden wine-presses still survive,

as do the storage vats,

in a series of huge wooden barns.

And they still stand,

right in the middle of the finest area

of Burgundian red-wine production:

the Cte de Nuits.

To this day,

there are dozens of ancient cellars in Burgundy,

built by Cistercian monks.

This one is owned by the

Domaine Morey-Coffinet,

further south,

in Chassagne Montrachet.

Thibault Morey, just 30,

is now the principal

wine-maker,

and his father Michel

runs the operation.

Martine visits them

two or three times a year

to select wines

for her list.

Martine has known this family

for almost 40 years:

4 generations of wine-makers.

[speaking French]

Now lets try the Farande.

Its my most favorite.

The vines are 75 years old,

arent they? Or 74?

- Theyre grand old ladies.

- Oh, I dont know...

- I think theyre quite young.

- Careful what you say...

Thats magnificent.

Its a shame to spit it out.

But Martine...

Youve only got one more to taste!

Yes I know.

But its still a shame to spit it out.

I think no-one has a particular gift

at the start.

As little children we grow up

surrounded by vines and wine and cellars...

...by fathers and grandfathers who talk about wine,

and the aromas and tannins.

I think that,

even as a little child,

even if you dont taste it...

...you start to get a feeling

for wine quite quickly.

By the age of 5 or 6,

Thibault could

identify different wines by their smell.

That one is more mineral.

Very fine.

When I was young it was my passion.

I only went to school because I had to.

When I came home I joined my parents

in the vines and the cellars.

Ive always been fascinated by these huge cellars.

When youre small, to see cellars like these,

which are so beautiful...

When I think of the work that it took...

It was all done by hand,

carved out of the rock...

The flavors not there yet.

Its still very closed,

but even so...

When I go to work tomorrow morning in the cellars...

...my eyes will be wide open,

like a child.

When the monks

built these caves,

they built them to last-

as if they knew we'd

still be enjoying the wine, 500 years later.

This is a fortunate land.

The Sane Valley

is incredibly fertile,

though the grapes

prefer the gentle slopes.

The best land of all

for the Pinot Noir is here:

the Cte de Nuits,

north of Beaune.

It's barely 20 miles (32 km) long,

but it may be the most

prestigious wine-growing area in the world.

Here, as in the rest

of Burgundy,

wines are often

named after villages:

Vosne-Romane,

Clos de Vougeot,

Chambolle-Musigny,

Gevrey-Chambertin.

These are picture postcard

locations full of real charm,

because the people who live

in them, for the most part,

are the same families

who've lived in them for hundreds of years.

No two winemakers

are the same, in Burgundy.

This is Bruno Clavelier.

In his spare time, he coaches

young rugby hopefuls.

He used to play

on France's national team,

like his father before him.

And, like his father before him,

he makes superb wines.

His winery is less than a mile

from the rugby field.

[speaking French]

So, Martine, this is the Combe Brle vineyard.

These are old vines.

Were just above the village of Vosne-Romane.

Just down there to the right.

The lie of the land lets you see

the different layers of soil.

Up on top of the slope

you have the limestone of Comblanchien.

No vines, just brush.

And here is Combe Brle.

The soil is chalky, with flints.

It has something special.

A cool wind comes through at night

It cools this little valley down...

and that preserves the acidity of the wine.

This soil is a real treasure,

but you have to care for it.

It has the structure were all looking for.

Its granular, with a rich scent.

It smells great.

It smells like the undergrowth in a forest.

Its a living soil.

Yes, exactly.

So what were looking at

is the microclimate, plus the geology.

Heres the Combe Brle.

Because the Combe is a small closed valley,

it has a unique microclimate.

The chalk comes from a chalk layer,

full of these petrified sea sponges.

Some are much bigger.

The soil is also rich in these flints.

If you rub them, you get a spark.

And you get that characteristic

smell of flint.

Now lets try it.

You can detect all those elements in the wine.

The hot, burned stone...

The wine has a really mineral taste.

Were on hard rocks.

Its very tight.

You can tell its a Brle...

in the nose and on the palate.

Silky in the mouth, yet with

very precise minerality.

[narrator]

A thousand years ago

the Cistercian monks had no idea

about this underlying geology, of course.

But they did take note

that grapes from one side of a path

tasted subtly different

from those on the other.

Over the years,

each unique terroir began to be marked

by walls and gates.

Each domain was plain to see.

All these little parcels of land

are noted on the local maps.

Here is Clos Vougeot

in all its detail.

These are not only records

of ownership,

but maps of taste.

Each tiny terroir

slightly different.

[speaking French]

To me, whats unique about Burgundy is

the incredible diversity of its terroirs.

Its amazing.

If you take a village

like Chassagne Montrachet...

Theres a premiere appellation called Les Caillerets.

We have about 40 different winemakers

in just this one appellation...

And we have about 10 different

appellations

in Chassagne.

So there are about 400 different wines being made,

just in this one little village.

In Burgundy as a whole,

there are thousands

and thousands of different terroirs.

Its impossible to know everything about Burgundy.

[narrator]

In late May 2011, however,

all the vineyards of Burgundy

were facing the same problem...

drought.

The youngest vines

faced the biggest challenge.

They don't yet have deep roots.

Entire plantings of new vineyards could be wiped out.

And then, just in time, the rain came.

But would it be enough?

Rain is vital in Burgundy.

Ancient custom, and the law,

decree there shall be no watering,

no irrigation of vines.

That way, the roots dig deep

into the different layers of rock below,

enhancing the taste.

Winemaker Thibault Morey plays the piano

when it's too wet to work in the vineyard.

The rain was brief.

Temporary relief for the vines,

but not the solution for the vintage.

The water quickly disappears

beneath the ground,

to feed the deep roots

of the vines,

and to bubble up as springs

in the center of ancient villages.

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