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Burgundy for the Certified Sommelier exam: the study guide

The regions, the four quality levels, the Grand Crus village by village, key producers and blind-tasting markers: Burgundy cut down to what Certified candidates need, with a quiz.

Updated October 2026

Rewritten by Alper Billik, Advanced Sommelier

7 min read

Burgundy is where the Certified exam separates people who memorised a list from people who understand a map. Two grapes, a few hundred named vineyards, and a classification built on the idea that the place matters more than the producer. Here is what I would know cold before the exam.

The exam, for context: at the Court of Master Sommeliers Europe, the Certified exam has a theory paper of 40 multiple-choice and short-answer questions, a tasting of two wines blind written up on the Court's grid, and a service test. You need 60% in each part, all passed together. Burgundy can turn up in all three: a theory question on Grand Crus, a Pinot Noir or Chardonnay in the tasting, a Meursault to sell at the table.

Burgundy in one minute

  • Where: eastern France, from Chablis in the north to the Mâconnais in the south. The heart is the Côte d'Or, a slope running south from Dijon, made of the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune.
  • Grapes: Pinot Noir for red and Chardonnay for white, plus Aligoté (white) and Gamay (red) in regional wines.
  • Climate: continental: cold winters, warm summers, and real risks of spring frost and hail. Vintages vary a lot.
  • Soils: limestone and marl, in endless variations along the slopes.
  • Climats: Burgundy's word for its named vineyard plots. The Climats of Burgundy joined UNESCO's World Heritage List on 4 July 2015.

The regions, north to south

Chablis and Grand Auxerrois
Main winesChardonnay
Appellations to knowPetit Chablis, Chablis, Chablis Premier Cru, Chablis Grand Cru; Irancy (Pinot Noir); Saint-Bris (Sauvignon Blanc)
Côte de Nuits
Main winesMostly Pinot Noir
Appellations to knowGevrey-Chambertin, Morey-Saint-Denis, Chambolle-Musigny, Vougeot, Vosne-Romanée, Nuits-Saint-Georges
Côte de Beaune
Main winesWhite and red
Appellations to knowRed: Aloxe-Corton, Beaune, Pommard, Volnay. White: Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet
Côte Chalonnaise
Main winesWhite and red
Appellations to knowBouzeron (Aligoté), Rully, Mercurey, Givry, Montagny (white only)
Mâconnais
Main winesMostly Chardonnay
Appellations to knowPouilly-Fuissé, Saint-Véran, Viré-Clessé, Mâcon-Villages

Beaujolais, just south of the Mâconnais, is its own region with its own grape (Gamay) and its own wine body. Study it separately, even if your course teaches it next to Burgundy. Saint-Bris is worth remembering: it is Burgundy's Sauvignon Blanc appellation, the odd one out.

The four quality levels

Burgundy has 84 appellations: 7 regional, 44 village and 33 Grand Cru (BIVB). Premier Crus are not separate appellations: they sit inside the village appellations.

  • Grand Cru: the top vineyards. In the Côte d'Or the label shows the vineyard name alone, such as Chambertin or Montrachet. The 33 are 32 in the Côte d'Or plus Chablis Grand Cru, one appellation made of seven climats.
  • Premier Cru: village name plus vineyard, such as Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Amoureuses. If no vineyard is named, the wine is a blend of Premier Crus from that village.
  • Village: the village name alone, such as Gevrey-Chambertin or Meursault. Many villages added their most famous vineyard to their name: Gevrey took Chambertin.
  • Regional: Bourgogne, Bourgogne Aligoté, Coteaux Bourguignons, Crémant de Bourgogne and others.

New since 2020: Pouilly-Fuissé gained 22 Premier Cru climats, the first Premier Crus in the Mâconnais, usable from the 2020 vintage. Bouzeron became a village appellation in 1998, and it is still the only one for Aligoté.

The Grand Crus, village by village

Gevrey-Chambertin
Grand CrusChambertin, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze, Chapelle-, Charmes-, Griotte-, Latricières-, Mazis-, Mazoyères- and Ruchottes-Chambertin
Morey-Saint-Denis
Grand CrusClos de la Roche, Clos Saint-Denis, Clos des Lambrays, Clos de Tart, part of Bonnes-Mares
Chambolle-Musigny
Grand CrusMusigny (red, and a little white), Bonnes-Mares
Vougeot
Grand CrusClos de Vougeot
Flagey-Echézeaux
Grand CrusÉchezeaux, Grands Échezeaux
Vosne-Romanée
Grand CrusRomanée-Conti, La Romanée, La Tâche, Richebourg, Romanée-Saint-Vivant, La Grande Rue
Aloxe-Corton, Ladoix, Pernand-Vergelesses
Grand CrusCorton (mostly red), Corton-Charlemagne and Charlemagne (white)
Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet
Grand CrusMontrachet, Bâtard-Montrachet (both shared); Chevalier-Montrachet and Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet (Puligny); Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet (Chassagne)
Chablis
Grand CrusChablis Grand Cru: Blanchot, Bougros, Les Clos, Grenouilles, Preuses, Valmur, Vaudésir
  • Exam favourites: Corton is the only red Grand Cru of the Côte de Beaune. The Côte de Nuits Grand Crus are famous for red; Musigny also makes a little white. Bonnes-Mares crosses the line between Chambolle and Morey.
  • Monopoles (one owner for the whole vineyard): Romanée-Conti and La Tâche (Domaine de la Romanée-Conti), La Romanée (Comte Liger-Belair), La Grande Rue (Lamarche), Clos de Tart.

Producers to know

Domaine François Raveneau
WhereChablis
Known forAge-worthy Premier and Grand Cru Chablis
Domaine William Fèvre
WhereChablis
Known forA large range of Grand Crus
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti
WhereVosne-Romanée
Known forRomanée-Conti and La Tâche, both monopoles
Domaine Armand Rousseau
WhereGevrey-Chambertin
Known forChambertin and Clos Saint-Jacques
Domaine Georges Roumier
WhereChambolle-Musigny
Known forBonnes-Mares and Les Amoureuses
Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé
WhereChambolle-Musigny
Known forMusigny, red and white
Domaine Ponsot
WhereMorey-Saint-Denis
Known forClos de la Roche
Domaine Leflaive
WherePuligny-Montrachet
Known forWhite Burgundy benchmarks
Domaine Coche-Dury
WhereMeursault
Known forCult Meursault
Domaine des Comtes Lafon
WhereMeursault
Known forMeursault Premier Crus such as Perrières
Bouchard Père et Fils
WhereBeaune
Known forA historic house with big vineyard holdings
Domaine Faiveley
WhereNuits-Saint-Georges
Known forCôte de Nuits reds and Mercurey
Domaine de Villaine
WhereBouzeron
Known forAligoté from Bouzeron

Go deeper on two of them: five Chablis producers every sommelier should know and why Domaine de la Romanée-Conti is so famous.

Tasting Burgundy blind

  • Red Burgundy (Pinot Noir): pale to medium ruby; red cherry, raspberry, then earth, mushroom and forest floor with age; high acidity, light to medium tannin, moderate alcohol, often a touch of oak.
  • Chablis: pale lemon; green apple, lemon, a stony or salty note; high acidity; usually little or no new-oak flavour.
  • Côte de Beaune white: riper citrus and yellow apple; toast, hazelnut and a creamy texture from oak and malolactic fermentation; still fresh acidity.
  • Versus New World Chardonnay and Pinot Noir: expect riper fruit and often more alcohol and more obvious oak outside Burgundy. Use acidity and earthiness as your Burgundy clues.

Burgundy at the table

  • Chablis: oysters, shellfish, gougères.
  • Côte de Beaune white: lobster, roast chicken, creamy sauces.
  • Red Burgundy: duck, coq au vin, mushroom dishes, bœuf bourguignon.

How I would study it

  • Draw the Côte d'Or from memory, north to south, villages first, then the Grand Crus in the right village.
  • Learn in pairs: Chambolle and Morey (they share Bonnes-Mares), Puligny and Chassagne (they share Montrachet).
  • Taste a village wine next to a regional Bourgogne from the same producer. The step up is the lesson.
  • Ten minutes of questions a day. Burgundy rewards repetition more than long weekends.

For the whole theory paper, read the Certified Sommelier theory exam guide. Still at Level 1? Start with the Level 1 practice test. For daily Burgundy questions, SOMM DIGI AI has 3,000+ exam-prep questions.

Quiz yourself with SOMM DIGI AILevel 1 practice test

Quick quiz: Burgundy

Question 1

How many Grand Cru climats are there in Chablis?

  1. a)Five
  2. b)Seven
  3. c)Nine
  4. d)Twelve
Show answer

b) Seven. Blanchot, Bougros, Les Clos, Grenouilles, Preuses, Valmur and Vaudésir, all within one appellation, Chablis Grand Cru.

Question 2

Which is the only red Grand Cru of the Côte de Beaune?

  1. a)Montrachet
  2. b)Corton-Charlemagne
  3. c)Corton
  4. d)Bâtard-Montrachet
Show answer

c) Corton. Corton. Montrachet, Bâtard-Montrachet and Corton-Charlemagne are white.

Question 3

Bouzeron is a village appellation for which grape?

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

b) Aligoté. Bouzeron, in the Côte Chalonnaise, became a village appellation for Aligoté in 1998.

Question 4

Which Mâconnais appellation gained Premier Cru vineyards from the 2020 vintage?

  1. a)Saint-Véran
  2. b)Viré-Clessé
  3. c)Pouilly-Fuissé
  4. d)Mâcon-Villages
Show answer

c) Pouilly-Fuissé. Pouilly-Fuissé now has 22 Premier Cru climats, the first in the Mâconnais.

Question 5

In which village are Romanée-Conti and La Tâche?

  1. a)Gevrey-Chambertin
  2. b)Vosne-Romanée
  3. c)Chambolle-Musigny
  4. d)Nuits-Saint-Georges
Show answer

b) Vosne-Romanée. Both are in Vosne-Romanée, and both are monopoles of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti.

Question 6

Bonnes-Mares is shared between which two villages?

  1. a)Gevrey-Chambertin and Morey-Saint-Denis
  2. b)Chambolle-Musigny and Morey-Saint-Denis
  3. c)Vosne-Romanée and Flagey-Echézeaux
  4. d)Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet
Show answer

b) Chambolle-Musigny and Morey-Saint-Denis. Most of Bonnes-Mares is in Chambolle-Musigny; a smaller part lies in Morey-Saint-Denis.

Question 7

What colour is Montagny?

  1. a)Red only
  2. b)White only
  3. c)Red and rosé
  4. d)Sparkling only
Show answer

b) White only. Montagny, in the Côte Chalonnaise, is a white-only appellation, from Chardonnay.

Question 8

Saint-Bris, near Chablis, is the Burgundy appellation for which grape?

  1. a)Sauvignon Blanc
  2. b)Aligoté
  3. c)César
  4. d)Melon de Bourgogne
Show answer

a) Sauvignon Blanc. Saint-Bris is the odd one out in Burgundy: an appellation for Sauvignon Blanc.

Questions people ask

How many Grand Crus are there in Burgundy?

33 Grand Cru appellations: 32 in the Côte d'Or and one in Chablis (Chablis Grand Cru, which is divided into seven climats).

Is Beaujolais part of Burgundy?

It is a separate region with its own grape, Gamay, and its own wine body. Study it on its own, even if your course groups the two.

Do I need to know producers for the Certified exam?

Know the famous names tied to the famous vineyards, such as Domaine de la Romanée-Conti with Romanée-Conti. They help in theory and even more at the table, where guests ask for them.

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