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Burgundy for the Level 1 sommelier exam: a study guide

What the Court of Master Sommeliers' Introductory syllabus asks about Burgundy, from Chablis to the Beaujolais crus, in plain words, with a quiz at the end.

Updated October 2026

Rewritten by Alper Billik, Advanced Sommelier

6 min read

The short answer: for the Level 1 exam, know Burgundy's districts from north to south, its two main grapes, its four quality levels, the main villages of the Côte d'Or and their Grand Crus, the ten Beaujolais crus and a handful of label terms. That covers most of what the Court's Introductory syllabus lists for Burgundy.

Level 1 is the Introductory Sommelier Certificate of the Court of Master Sommeliers. In Europe it is a two-day course with the exams on the morning of the third day: a multiple-choice theory paper and a short service test, with 60% needed in each. The Americas run their own version, with 70 questions in 45 minutes. This guide follows the Burgundy headings of the Court's syllabus, in order.

1. Climate

  • Continental: cold winters, warm summers, and risks of spring frost and hail.
  • Slopes matter: on the Côte d'Or the best vineyards face east to south-east, on the mid-slope, where the sun and drainage are best.
  • Vintage variation: in a cool, marginal climate the weather changes the wine a lot from year to year.

2. The districts, north to south

Chablis
Main grapeChardonnay
RememberKimmeridgian soil, four quality levels
Côte de Nuits
Main grapePinot Noir
RememberMost of the red Grand Crus
Côte de Beaune
Main grapeChardonnay and Pinot Noir
RememberThe great whites: Meursault, Puligny, Chassagne
Côte Chalonnaise
Main grapeChardonnay and Pinot Noir
RememberBouzeron, Rully, Mercurey, Givry, Montagny
Mâconnais
Main grapeChardonnay
RememberPouilly-Fuissé, Saint-Véran, Mâcon-Villages
Beaujolais
Main grapeGamay
RememberTen crus; its own trade body, but in the Court's Burgundy syllabus

The Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune together make the Côte d'Or, the 'golden slope'.

3. Grapes

  • Pinot Noir: the red grape of Burgundy.
  • Chardonnay: the white grape of Burgundy.
  • Aligoté: a second white grape, for Bourgogne Aligoté and for Bouzeron in the Côte Chalonnaise.
  • Gamay: the grape of Beaujolais.

4. Soils

  • Limestone and marl on the Côte d'Or, the base of its great wines.
  • Kimmeridgian marl and limestone in Chablis, rich in fossil oyster shells.
  • Granite in the northern Beaujolais, where the crus are.

5. Making the wines

  • Traditional red Burgundy: Pinot Noir fermented in open vats, then aged in oak barrels.
  • White Burgundy: in the Côte de Beaune, often fermented and aged in barrel; in Chablis and the Mâconnais, often in tank.
  • Macération carbonique in Beaujolais: whole bunches in a vat full of carbon dioxide, so fermentation starts inside the berries. The result is fruity red wine with soft tannins.

6. Quality levels

  • Regional: Bourgogne, from anywhere in the region.
  • Village: named after one village, such as Gevrey-Chambertin or Meursault.
  • Premier Cru (1er Cru): a named vineyard within a village, shown as the village plus the vineyard.
  • Grand Cru: the top vineyards. On the Côte d'Or the label shows only the vineyard name, such as Chambertin or Montrachet.

The Burgundy wine board counts 84 appellations: 7 regional, 44 village and 33 Grand Cru. Premier Crus are not separate appellations; they are named vineyards inside village appellations.

7. Chablis and its quality levels

Four levels, from the bottom up: Petit Chablis, Chablis, Chablis Premier Cru, Chablis Grand Cru. All Chardonnay, crisp and mineral, mostly unoaked. My Chablis guide takes it level by level.

8. The main villages of the Côte d'Or

  • Côte de Nuits, north to south: Gevrey-Chambertin, Morey-Saint-Denis, Chambolle-Musigny, Vougeot, Vosne-Romanée, Nuits-Saint-Georges. To remember the order: Go Make Coffee, Very Very Nice.
  • Côte de Beaune, north to south: Aloxe-Corton, Beaune, Pommard, Volnay, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, Santenay.

9. Grand Crus of the Côte d'Or to know

Gevrey-Chambertin
Grand Crus to knowChambertin, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze (red)
Morey-Saint-Denis
Grand Crus to knowClos de la Roche, Clos Saint-Denis, Clos de Tart (red)
Chambolle-Musigny
Grand Crus to knowMusigny (red, with a little white), Bonnes-Mares (red)
Vougeot
Grand Crus to knowClos de Vougeot (red)
Vosne-Romanée
Grand Crus to knowRomanée-Conti, La Tâche, Richebourg, Romanée-Saint-Vivant (red)
The hill of Corton (Aloxe-Corton)
Grand Crus to knowCorton (mostly red), Corton-Charlemagne (white)
Puligny and Chassagne-Montrachet
Grand Crus to knowMontrachet, Chevalier-Montrachet, Bâtard-Montrachet (white)

Worth knowing for multiple-choice questions: Nuits-Saint-Georges, Pommard, Volnay and Meursault have no Grand Cru. Their best vineyards are Premier Crus.

10. Côte Chalonnaise and Mâconnais

  • Côte Chalonnaise: Bouzeron (Aligoté), Rully (white and red), Mercurey and Givry (mostly red), Montagny (white only).
  • Mâconnais: Chardonnay country. Pouilly-Fuissé and Saint-Véran are the names to know, then Mâcon-Villages.

11. The ten Beaujolais crus

Saint-Amour, Juliénas, Chénas, Moulin-à-Vent, Fleurie, Chiroubles, Morgon, Régnié, Brouilly and Côte de Brouilly. All Gamay, all red, and the label usually shows the cru name rather than the word Beaujolais.

12. Label terms

  • Domaine: a wine estate that grows its own grapes.
  • Mis en bouteille au domaine: bottled at the estate.
  • Clos: a walled vineyard, such as Clos de Vougeot.
  • Monopole: a vineyard owned by a single producer.
  • Climat: a precisely named vineyard plot.
  • Vieilles vignes: old vines, with no legal definition.

13. Structure of the trade

  • Négociants buy grapes, juice or wine, make and age it, and sell it under their own name. Many also own vineyards. Names to know: Louis Jadot, Joseph Drouhin, Bouchard Père & Fils, Louis Latour.
  • Domaines grow, make and bottle their own wine.
  • Cooperatives make wine for their grower members, such as La Chablisienne in Chablis.
  • Courtiers are brokers who link growers and négociants.
  • The Hospices de Beaune holds a famous charity wine auction every November.

Quick quiz: Burgundy

Question 1

Which of these is NOT a Grand Cru?

  1. a)Montrachet
  2. b)Romanée-Conti
  3. c)Meursault
  4. d)Clos de Vougeot
Show answer

c) Meursault. Meursault is a village appellation with Premier Crus but no Grand Cru.

Question 2

The Côte de Nuits is best known for which grape?

  1. a)Chardonnay
  2. b)Pinot Noir
  3. c)Gamay
  4. d)Aligoté
Show answer

b) Pinot Noir. Almost all the red Grand Crus of Burgundy are in the Côte de Nuits.

Question 3

Which grape makes Beaujolais?

  1. a)Pinot Noir
  2. b)Syrah
  3. c)Gamay
  4. d)Merlot
Show answer

c) Gamay. Beaujolais, including the ten crus, is Gamay.

Question 4

Which village is in the Côte de Beaune?

  1. a)Gevrey-Chambertin
  2. b)Vosne-Romanée
  3. c)Puligny-Montrachet
  4. d)Chambolle-Musigny
Show answer

c) Puligny-Montrachet. Puligny-Montrachet is in the Côte de Beaune; the other three are in the Côte de Nuits.

Question 5

A Côte d'Or label shows only a vineyard name, such as Chambertin. What level is it?

  1. a)Regional
  2. b)Village
  3. c)Premier Cru
  4. d)Grand Cru
Show answer

d) Grand Cru. Côte d'Or Grand Crus are labelled with the vineyard name alone.

Question 6

Which of these is a Beaujolais cru?

  1. a)Mercurey
  2. b)Morgon
  3. c)Montagny
  4. d)Mâcon-Villages
Show answer

b) Morgon. Morgon is one of the ten crus. The others are in the Côte Chalonnaise or the Mâconnais.

Question 7

What does “monopole” mean on a Burgundy label?

  1. a)A walled vineyard
  2. b)A vineyard owned by a single producer
  3. c)Old vines
  4. d)Bottled at the estate
Show answer

b) A vineyard owned by a single producer. A walled vineyard is a clos; old vines are vieilles vignes.

Question 8

A guest orders a Chablis Grand Cru. How would you describe it?

  1. a)Sweet, rich and nutty
  2. b)Dry Chardonnay with high acidity, citrus and a mineral edge, with more depth than village Chablis
  3. c)A light red with cherry and soft tannins
  4. d)A grassy Sauvignon Blanc
Show answer

b) Dry Chardonnay with high acidity, citrus and a mineral edge, with more depth than village Chablis. Chablis is dry Chardonnay; the Grand Crus add depth and length.

Want more? Take my Level 1 practice test, read about Burgundy's sparkling wine in Crémant de Bourgogne, or let SOMM DIGI AI quiz you on any region: 3,000+ exam-prep questions, free to start.

Quiz yourself with SOMM DIGI AILevel 1 practice test

Questions people ask

What grapes are used in Burgundy?

Pinot Noir for red and Chardonnay for white, with Aligoté as a second white grape. Gamay is the grape of Beaujolais.

How many Grand Crus are there in Burgundy?

The Burgundy wine board counts 33 Grand Cru appellations, including Chablis Grand Cru.

Is Beaujolais part of Burgundy?

It lies just south of the Mâconnais and has its own trade body. The Court of Master Sommeliers teaches the Beaujolais crus within Burgundy, so learn them together.

What is the difference between Premier Cru and Grand Cru?

Both are named vineyards. Grand Cru is the top level and, on the Côte d'Or, is labelled with the vineyard name alone. Premier Cru shows the village name plus the vineyard.

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