Burgundy: Geography and climate

The vineyards of Burgundy are based on limestone originating in the Jurassic period. This takes the form of undulating chalk hills in Chablis; a long narrow escarpment running south and a touch west from Dijon to Chagny, the côte d’or; more isolated limestone outcrops in the Côte Chalonnaise and Mâconnais; with the vineyards of pouilly-fuissé beneath the imposing crags of Solutré and Vergisson in the extreme south.

The climate in Burgundy is broadly continental . In contrast to bordeaux, Burgundy is noticeably colder in the winter months, similar in temperature in the spring, but a little cooler during the summer. Although usually dry in winter, Burgundy tends to suffer from particularly heavy rainfall in May and June and again in October, which may or may not fall after the harvest. Spring frost can be a problem (especially in chablis), while hail causes local damage almost every year. Indeed the incidence of hail seems to be on the increase, particularly in the Côte de Beaune, and is perhaps a by-product of climate change.