The Mysteries of Burgundy Uncorked

Well I can't promise eternal life and I won't take up the hundreds of pages it would take to explain the region of Burgundy but I can say with great certainty that to many wine lovers the region of Burgundy is home to some of the most holy land on earth.  I long for the day when I will be walking throughout these vines and digging my hands nto their soil.  But why is this place such a complex and misunderstood place, almost the Forbidden Garden of Adam and Eve.  Let's start at the beginning...

Vineyard studies began in the 12th C. by monks who lived in the region of Burgundy, on the eastern ridges of France North of Lyon.  It is a temperate climate much affected by the continental weathers and each year can be a guessing game as to whether the rains will cooperate and yield ripe proper grapes.  On the surface the region is very straight forward, white wines are made entirely from Chardonnay and red wines are made entirely from Pinot Noir.  The exception would be the Gamay grape which is the grape of Beaujolais in the southern end of the region of Burgundy.
There are quality levels to Burgundy, from bottom to top:
Bourgogne: Basic wine from all over the place.  Simple quality and complexity.  Think of it as the same as a basic California label.
Appellation Wine:Wine from a specific town/subregion.  This would be like Carneros in Napa/Sonoma.  Good quality wines can be found at this level
Vineyard Wine: Producers/Negociants buy grapes from specific vineyards just like in California and bottle them seperately.  And just like in California they can start to get pretty pricey.
Premier Cru: These are 1st class vineyards that consistently producer high quality grapes.  These wines are what really good Burgundy can start to taste like
Grand Cru: These are the grandest of all the vineyards in all of Burgundy.  7 in Chablis and 22 in Cote D'Or, that is it!  These are wines that most people cannot afford and can age crazy long.  Go out one less day a week for a couple months and take that saved money and buy a good grand cru burgundy.  It is worth it!

Louis Latour Montagny 1st Cru La Grande Roche 2006/2005
Domaine Joblot Givry 1st Cru Clos du Cellier Aux Moines 2002

These are the two pictured, I tasted a few more that were delightful.  This is light my indulgence, it needs no pairing.  On that note though, there were a few whispers of Meiumd Rare duck breast once the reds came out.  Salute!