Burgundy is unquestionably the most romantic of wine destinations for not only are the wines at best exceptional, but the countryside and hills that make up the region of Burgundy are blessed with outstanding beauty. 
 

Of the few trips that I have made to the region, for the sake of convenience or perhaps impatience, I’ve always started from Dijon and worked my way slowly southwards to Maconnais.  From a wine connoisseur’s perspective this is arguably the wrong way to visit Burgundy.  Without a doubt, the wines of Cote de Nuits and Cote de Beaune that make up the Cote d’Or are indisputably far superior to those of the Cote Chalonnaise and Macconnais and therefore tasting in this direction is hardly saving the best for last.  None-the-less, the trip is one that I could repeat every year without ever tiring.  
   

On each visit one always stumbles across small Domaines with vineyards to walk, cellars to seek out and, not forgetting, wines to savour.  The wine route winds its way through the little towns with big names, and on your first visit it is tempting to jump out of the car every few miles in order to snatch a photo of your travel companion  or yourself standing beside the road signs that say  Nuits-Saint-Georges, Pommard, or Meursault.  But don’t worry, by the time you reach Santenay the novelty factor will have worn off and you’ll be focused on the next tasting.  As you drive south through all these delightful villages and towns, you’ll pass a row of seemingly never-ending vineyards to your right as far as the eye can see.  The small villages often feel deserted with their cobble-stone streets and small path ways. 
 

Venturing into the smaller towns by car can sometimes prove interesting.  One invariably ends up in a road that gradually narrows to the point where turning around becomes almost impossible thanks to the parked cars blocking the road or where the road turns into little more than a mud pathway leading to the vineyards. 
I remember back to around about 1995 during my first trip to Burgundy -- two things in particular grabbed my attention.  One was that Burgundy is really quite a small region, yet so many big and familiar names are packed into this tiny stretch of sun-drenched land. 

The second thing that caught my attention, and was highlighted by a magnitude of wine tastings at various vineyards up and down region, was the fact that so many different flavours and styles of wine are achieved by the winemakers of Burgundy using primarily just two grapes:  Pinot Noir for the reds and Chardonnay for the whites. 
This is not to neglect the Gamay grape from Beaujolais in the south or indeed the white Aligote grape found in many districts, which indeed in the right hands can produce outstanding wines.  However, it is Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that can lay claim to the crown jewels of Burgundy.  The reds can be rustic and earthy as in Maconnais, but also produce flavours of strawberry, raspberry, and cherry, or spices, chocolates and mushroom in the Cote d’Or.  They are sometimes light and thin at worst, but at the hands of an expert winemaker they can be big, chewy, rich and powerful whilst retaining elegance that is the trademark of this world class region.
 

The whites can be fruity, crisp, lean and steely, in the south, or oaky, creamy, oily, nutty, rich, and rounded in the north.  They are sometimes soft, mild and easily drunk young, while at other times they are rich, fat and complex needing a cellar time to mature in order to fully appreciate.  One thing is for sure — the wines of Burgundy are always fascinating!