The named places in the Burgundy Vineyard | Marie-Hélène Landrieu

The place names in the Burgundy Vineyard have a considerable personality. They have a peasant origin, but rise to nobility thanks to the wines they produce; they have narrow areas, but expand to a global dimension; they are humble terroirs, but rise to become prestigious sites (Chambertin, Corton, Montrachet, etc.) to the extent that the villages they are part of claimed the honor, during the 19th century, of associating them with their own names (Gevrey-Chambertin, Aloxe-Corton, Puligny-Montrachet, etc.).

By devoting an entire work to the place names in the Burgundy Vineyard, Marie-Hélène LANDRIEU-LUSSIGNY shows that she has clearly understood the important role they play in the legal and sentimental geography of Burgundy wine. Her explanations, revelations, and etymological interpretations, far from taking away the taste of terroir or the qualitative mysteries of the place names, extend our gourmet dreams and refine our tasting pleasures.