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Crémant de Bourgogne: Burgundy's sparkling wine, explained
What Crémant de Bourgogne is, how it is made, the grapes and the rules, what Eminent and Grand Eminent mean on a label, and how it compares with Champagne.
Updated October 2026
Rewritten by Alper Billik, Advanced Sommelier
5 min read
The short answer: Crémant de Bourgogne is Burgundy's sparkling wine, white or rosé, made by the traditional method, the same second fermentation in the bottle as Champagne. It is mostly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, picked by hand, and it spends at least nine months on its lees. For a sommelier it is a smart value recommendation; for an exam candidate it is a set of rules worth knowing.
Crémant de Bourgogne in one minute
- Appellation: recognised by decree in 1975. Burgundy had made sparkling wine long before: at Rully from 1820, then at Nuits-Saint-Georges and Chablis.
- Area: the whole of Burgundy, across four departments (Yonne, Côte-d'Or, Saône-et-Loire and Rhône), about 250 kilometres from north to south.
- Colours: white and rosé only.
- Method: second fermentation in the bottle in which the wine is sold.
The grapes and the blend
| Allowed grapes | Varieties |
|---|---|
| Black and grey grapes | Pinot Noir, Gamay, Pinot Gris |
| White grapes | Chardonnay, Aligoté, Pinot Blanc, Melon, Sacy |
- Black and grey grapes
- VarietiesPinot Noir, Gamay, Pinot Gris
- White grapes
- VarietiesChardonnay, Aligoté, Pinot Blanc, Melon, Sacy
- At least 30% of the blend must be Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc or Pinot Gris, alone or together.
- Gamay: at most 30%. Older guides say 20%; the current rules, from 2021, allow 30%.
- In practice, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir lead, as the appellation's own rule book notes.
How it is made
- Hand harvest, with whole bunches taken to the press.
- Gentle pressing: no more than 100 litres of juice from 150 kilos of grapes.
- Base wine: a still, dry wine, fermented first.
- Tirage: the base wine is bottled with yeast and sugar, from 1 December after the harvest, and ferments again in the bottle. That makes the bubbles.
- Ageing on lees: at least 9 months in the bottle on the dead yeast, which brings the brioche and toast notes. The wine can be sold 12 months after tirage at the earliest.
- Rosé: from skin contact, from saignée, or from blending white and red base wines before tirage.
Those lees notes are the same chemistry that matters in still wine. I explain it in sur lie ageing.
Eminent and Grand Eminent
Two words on some labels mark longer-aged Crémant. They come from the producers themselves, not from the appellation's legal rule book, and an independent body checks them:
| Term | Ageing | Other rules |
|---|---|---|
| Crémant de Bourgogne | At least 9 months on lees | The appellation rules above |
| Eminent | At least 24 months | As for Crémant de Bourgogne |
| Grand Eminent | At least 36 months | Only Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, from the first pressing |
- Crémant de Bourgogne
- AgeingAt least 9 months on lees
- Other rulesThe appellation rules above
- Eminent
- AgeingAt least 24 months
- Other rulesAs for Crémant de Bourgogne
- Grand Eminent
- AgeingAt least 36 months
- Other rulesOnly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, from the first pressing
Other words on the label
- Blanc de Blancs: from white grapes only, usually Chardonnay.
- Blanc de Noirs: a white wine from black grapes, usually Pinot Noir.
- Rosé: pink, made in one of the three ways above.
- Millésime: from a single vintage.
- Brut Nature, Extra Brut, Brut: the driest styles. If you want dry, look for these.
What it tastes like
Young Crémant de Bourgogne is fresh and bright: lemon, green apple and white flowers, with fine bubbles. With more time on the lees, an Eminent or Grand Eminent adds brioche, toast and hazelnut. Chardonnay gives finesse and citrus; Pinot Noir gives red fruit and body.
Crémant de Bourgogne or Champagne?
| Crémant de Bourgogne | Champagne | |
|---|---|---|
| Method | Traditional method | Traditional method |
| Main grapes | Chardonnay and Pinot Noir | Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier |
| Minimum ageing | 9 months on lees, sold 12 months after tirage | 15 months after tirage (12 on lees); vintage 3 years |
| Usual price tier | Value to mid-range | Mid-range to premium |
- Method
- Crémant de BourgogneTraditional method
- ChampagneTraditional method
- Main grapes
- Crémant de BourgogneChardonnay and Pinot Noir
- ChampagneChardonnay, Pinot Noir and Meunier
- Minimum ageing
- Crémant de Bourgogne9 months on lees, sold 12 months after tirage
- Champagne15 months after tirage (12 on lees); vintage 3 years
- Usual price tier
- Crémant de BourgogneValue to mid-range
- ChampagneMid-range to premium
The method is the same; the place, the rules and the price are not. That is why Crémant is such a good recommendation: the guest who wants bubbles for a celebration but not a Champagne bill gets the real thing. Sell the feeling, not the label.
Producers to look for
| Producer | Where | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Veuve Ambal | Montagny-lès-Beaune | A family house founded in Rully in 1898 |
| Louis Bouillot | Nuits-Saint-Georges | A Crémant specialist founded in 1877 |
| Simonnet-Febvre | Chablis | Making sparkling wine in Chablis since 1840 |
| Bailly Lapierre | Saint-Bris-le-Vineux, Yonne | Ages its wines in former underground quarries |
- Veuve Ambal
- WhereMontagny-lès-Beaune
- WhyA family house founded in Rully in 1898
- Louis Bouillot
- WhereNuits-Saint-Georges
- WhyA Crémant specialist founded in 1877
- Simonnet-Febvre
- WhereChablis
- WhyMaking sparkling wine in Chablis since 1840
- Bailly Lapierre
- WhereSaint-Bris-le-Vineux, Yonne
- WhyAges its wines in former underground quarries
Serving and food
- Temperature: 6–8°C for most bottles; a vintage wine can be a little warmer.
- Glass: a tulip or a white wine glass shows the aromas better than a narrow flute.
- Food: gougères, the cheese puffs of Burgundy; oysters and shellfish; anything fried; or simply as an aperitif.
Quick quiz: Crémant de Bourgogne
Question 1
Which method makes Crémant de Bourgogne?
- a)Tank method
- b)Traditional method
- c)Carbonation
- d)Ancestral method
Show answerAnswer
b) Traditional method. The second fermentation happens in the bottle, as in Champagne.
Question 2
What is the minimum time on lees for Crémant de Bourgogne?
- a)3 months
- b)9 months
- c)15 months
- d)36 months
Show answerAnswer
b) 9 months. Nine months on lees; it can be sold 12 months after tirage.
Question 3
Which colours can Crémant de Bourgogne be?
- a)White only
- b)White and rosé
- c)White, rosé and red
- d)Red only
Show answerAnswer
b) White and rosé. The appellation is reserved for white and rosé sparkling wines.
Question 4
Grand Eminent may be made from which grapes?
- a)Any permitted grape
- b)Chardonnay and Pinot Noir only
- c)Gamay only
- d)Aligoté and Chardonnay
Show answerAnswer
b) Chardonnay and Pinot Noir only. Grand Eminent is Chardonnay and Pinot Noir only, aged at least 36 months.
Question 5
How must the grapes be harvested?
- a)By machine
- b)By hand
- c)Either
- d)Only at night
Show answerAnswer
b) By hand. Hand harvest keeps the bunches whole for gentle pressing.
Studying Burgundy? Read my Burgundy guide for Level 1 and Chablis for the sommelier exams. Need a pairing tonight? Ask SOMM DIGI AI.
Questions people ask
Is Crémant de Bourgogne the same as Champagne?
No. It is made by the same traditional method, but in Burgundy, under its own rules, with a shorter minimum ageing.
What grapes are in Crémant de Bourgogne?
Mostly Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Gamay, Aligoté, Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Melon and Sacy are also allowed, within the blending rules.
Is Crémant de Bourgogne sweet?
It depends on the label. Brut Nature, Extra Brut and Brut are dry; Demi-Sec and Doux are sweet.
What does Eminent mean on Crémant de Bourgogne?
At least 24 months of ageing. Grand Eminent means at least 36 months, from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir only.
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