(© BIVB / Gadenne D.)
Bourgogne Vezelay is the title given to white Bourgogne wines produced in the four neighboring communes of Vezelay, Asquins, Saint-Pere and Tharoiseau, in the north-west of Burgundy. This small cluster of villages is located 60 miles (100km) north-west of Beaune, at the heart of Burgundy's wine-growing area.
Vezelay is not the largest of the four communes, but is the most geographically distinctive, with the village and a number of its vineyards perched on top of a teardrop-shaped outcrop of bathonian limestone. It also has the longest history of wine production and the names of some Bourgogne Vezelay wines make reference to this. Vezelay was the final resting place of Mary Magdelene's bones and was also the rendezvous point for French and English forces en route to the Crusades.
Bourgogne Vezelay wine is produced predominantly from Chardonnay grapes grown on limestone-rich soils. The vineyards are mostly planted on south-facing slopes around the four villages, at varying altitudes of 600 to 1000ft (180–305m). The continental climate here contributes to the fresh, steely style of the white wines in particular. The majority of the wines are produced by a local co-operative in Vezelay.
