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[narrator] Where does
really great wine come from?

From the heart and the mind
of those who create it.

The finest winemakers
are artists,

and what they do is unique.

This is a gala wine-tasting
in San Francisco.

Some of the best winemakers
in the world are here.

Martine Saunier organizes
this annual event.

She has spent most of her life
in the world of wine-

in France, in the United States,
and around the world.

Martine only imports wine
from people
she knows personally.

In some cases, she's known
these family winemakers

for five generations.

[quiet chatter]

Star of the show
are the Burgundies.

Tasting them are sommeliers,
chefs,

owners of the best restaurants
and wine stores

from across
the western United States.

They're deciding what to buy
this year,

and it's tough.

Some Burgundies are so rare,

they sell for
over a thousand dollars,

and that's the wholesale price.

But why is one bottle of wine

so much more special
than another?

It depends on the uniqueness of
the taste:

a perfect balance of nature-
the terroir-

and human artistry.

To understand why Burgundy

may be the most special
wine region on Earth,

you must visit
and meet the people.

Travel with us,
and with Martine Saunier,

to spend a year in Burgundy.

[narrator] Burgundy lies
at the heart of France.

[birds singing]

Human beings have lived here
for more that 20,000 years.

To the west there are hills,

and to the east,
the rich alluvial plain

of the river Saone.

And it was up this river
that the Roman came

2000 years ago,

looking for new lands
to conquer,

and new things to discover.

What they found here
was a great surprise:

vines of an unparalleled
quality,

and so far north!

To be sure, they weren't
organized into tidy rows

in vineyards, as they are today.

But the original varietals

of two of the world's
most famous grapes

are native to this are.

The white Chardonnay
and the red Pinot Noir.

To this day,
virtually all Burgundy wine

is made from Chardonnay
or Pinot Noir.

These two grapes
are the real heroes
of our story.

[narrator] The Saunier family

have lived in Southern Burgundy
for generations.

They've owned this house since
the nineteenth century-

though the house itself
dates back to the 1650s.

Martine first came here
as a young girl.

Every summer, she would travel
out from Paris to visit her aunt

and spend three glorious months
in wine country.

This house holds many memories.

In the cellar
is an ancient wine press,

still complete in every detail.

It was here, as a girl,

that Martine discovered
her passion.

I was a cellar-rat.

They called me a cellar-rat
because...

I used to follow
the winemaker everywhere.

His name was Camille and he had
a horse, La Margaux,

and we went to the vineyard

and I loved every aspect of it.

[narrator] Today, whenever
she returns to Burgundy,

Martine shares this house
with her brother Jacques,

an old black dog,
and the family Deux Chevaux.

[engine shudders and starts]

Driving these things
is quite an art.

[engine whirs and gears grind]

An art that's easily forgotten

after a few months
in California.

Martine's wine
distribution business

is based near San Francisco,

but at least three times a year,
she returns to France

to spend time
with her winemakers.

[engine revs]

That means personal visits

at all stages
of the winemaking year.

She often starts
near her own home,

This is the southernmost
frontier of Burgundy-

classic Chardonnay country.

Her first appointment
is with Dominique Cornin.

Dominique was born
just two miles from here,

His father was the first
to clear these fields.

[speaking French]

[narrator] Dominique employs
a couple of people year-round.

Almost everything is done
by hand.

For small producers,

one bad year
can wipe them out-

and 2011 had started very
strangely in Burgundy.

The New Year was cold,

but then,
at the end of February,

a heat-wave hit the region.

For six weeks,

daytime temperatures reached 85
degrees fahrenheit.

By April 12th the vines were
three weeks more advanced

than normal.

[speaking French]

[narrator] The fear is frost.

If the buds develop
too many leaves to early,

one severe frost can
kill the whole lot.

At this stage in the year,
there's not much to be done,

except watch the sky and pray.

The unseasonable hot weather

has brought on the vines
too far, too fast.

And the almost
non-existent rainfall

threatens a serious drought
later, in the summer.

along the river Saone,

past ancient cities, to Beaune
and Nuits St-Georges,

and all the way up to Dijon.

It's 80 miles long,

but only few miles wide.

In April 2011,

this whole region was suffering
from heat and drought.

At the village of Chorey,
near Beaune,

new vines are being planted
in the dry dirt.

[conversation in French]

During the winter, Michel Gay
and his son Sebastien

had grubbed up old vines
that were past their best,

and were starting again.

Michel's grapes used to go
to the local co-operative,

but 20 years ago, he started
making the wine himself.

The family now owns
about 24 acres.

By any normal
standards of agriculture,

this is still a tiny operation,

but it's profitable because the
added value of these wines-

even the less famous ones-

is very large.

What's more,

their 24 acres are spread out
across several miles.

A dozen disconnected vineyards.

This is their newest-

tucked into a warm
and fortunate corner.

It's smaller than many people's
back yards.

What goes on here is more like
gardening than agriculture.

[Sebastien speaking French]

[distant churchbells chiming
and birds calling]

[narrator] People have been
making wine in Burgundy

for almost 2000 years,

but it's never been easy.

When the Roman empire collapsed,

the invading Goths
had little taste

for the finer things in life.

The fledgeling wine business
might have died completely,

if it wasn't for Christianity.

[narrator] The Christian Mass

requires that
the death of Christ

be memorialized
in bread and wine.

In the Dark Ages, finding wine
was no easy matter

in much of Europe.

But in the monasteries
and abbeys of Burgundy,

the communion wine was of a
quality unsurpassed anywhere.

These massive churches-

this is the abbey at Tournus-

were built in the Roman style.

The priests and monks
who presided over them

preserved much
of the Roman knowledge

of fine living and wine

for more than 1000 years.

One small collection
of buildings

has survived, incredibly,

from the medieval
wine industry in Burgundy.

This is Clos de Vougeot,

headquarters of wine-making for
the Cistercian monks.

This was wine production
on a heroic scale.

The vast wooden wine-presses
still survive,

as do the storage vats,

in a series of huge
wooden barns.

And they still stand,
right in the middle

of the finest area of
Burgundian red-wine production:

[door creaks]

[narrator] To this day,

there are dozens
of ancient cellars in Burgundy,

built by Cistercian monks.

This one is owned by the
Domaine Morey-Coffinet,

further south,
in Chassagne Montrachet.

[conversation in French]

Thibault Morey, just 30,

is now the principal
wine-maker,

and his father Michel
runs the operation.

Martine visits them
two or three times a year

to select wines
for her list.

Martine has known this family
for almost 40 years:

four generations
of wine-makers.

[speaking French]

[speaking French]

[Martine speaking
French]

[Thibault speaking French]

[narrator] When the monks
built these caves,

they built them to last-

as if they knew we'd
still be enjoying the wine,

500 years later.

[birds chirping]

[narrator] This is
a fortunate land.

The Saone Valley
is incredibly fertile,

though the grapes
prefer the gentle slopes.

[water trickling]

The best land of all
for the Pinot Noir is here:

It's barely 20 miles long,

but it may be the most
prestigious wine-growing area

in the world.

Here, as in the rest
of Burgundy,

wines are often
named after villages:

Chambolle-Musigny,
Gevrey-Chambertin.

These are picture postcard
locations full of real charm,

because the people who live
in them, for the most part,

are the same families
who've lived in them

for hundreds of years.

[speaking French]

[grunts]

[conversation in French]

[speaking French]

[narrator] No two winemakers
are the same, in Burgundy.

This is Bruno Clavelier.

In his spare time, he coaches
young rugby hopefuls.

He used to play
on France's national team,

like his father before him.

And, like his father before him,
he makes superb wines.

Hi winery is less than a mile
from the rugby field.

[speaking French]

[they aerate the wine
in their mouths]

[speaking French]

[narrator] A thousand years ago,

the Cistercian monks
had no idea

about this underlying geology,
of course.

But they did take note

that grapes from one side
of a path

tasted subtly different
from those on the other.

Over the years,

each unique terroir

began to be marked
by walls and gates.

Each domain was plain to see.

All these little parcels of land
are noted on the local maps.

Here is Clos Vougeot
in all its detail.

These are not only records
of ownership,

but maps of taste.

Each tiny terroir
slightly different.

[speaking French]

[insects chirping]

[narrator] In late May 2011,
however,

all the vineyards of Burgundy
were facing the same problem...

drought.

The youngest vines
faced the biggest challenge.

They don't yet have deep roots.

Entire plantings
of new vineyards

could be wiped out.

And then, just in time,
the rain came.

[thunder rumbling]

But would it be enough?

Rain is vital in Burgundy.

Ancient custom, and the law,

decree there shall be
no watering,

no irrigation of vines.

That way, the roots dig deep

into the different layers
of rock below,

enhancing the taste.

[narrator] Winemaker
Thibault Morey

plays the piano when it's
too wet to work in the vineyard.

The rain was brief.

Temporary relief for the vines,

but not the solution
for the vintage.

[water trickling]

The water quickly disappears
beneath the ground,

to feed the deep roots
of the vines,

and to bubble up as springs
in the center
of ancient villages.

One day in early June,

Dominique Cornin decided
to inspect his vines,

with the help of his beloved
horse, Coccinelle...

Ladybug.

[Dominique speaking French]

[commanding the horse
in French]

[Dominique speaking French]

[narrator] If a wine
reflects the character

of the winemaker,

then you'd expect
the wines made here,

to be very different
from Dominique Cornin's.

This is Cristophe Perrot-Minot.

From his headquarters
in Morey-St-Denis,

he owns and manages

dozens of valuable
Premier Cru vineyards

and top-of-the-line Grand Crus.

He exports most of his wine

to Germany, Britain,
America, China.

This is a business,
after all.

[Cristophe speaking French]

[gate crashes]

[speaking French]

30 miles south,
in Chassagne Montrachet,

Sunday morning.

Thibault Morey
visits the furthest reaches

of the family cellar.

[Thibault speaking French]

[narrator] The most famous
wines of Chassagne are white.

Domaine Morey-Coffinet's
finest offering

is a Grand Cru Batard.

But some of the Pinot Noirs
are extraordinary too.

They get better and better
for a quarter of a century.

[conversation in French]

There's a special event today-

a family reunion.

[speaking French]

The two sides of the family,
the Moreys and the Coffinets,

are getting together
for Sunday lunch,

a hallowed French tradition,

with family wines to match.

[conversation in French]

[narrator] Both of Thibault's
grandfathers are here.

They used to be winemakers
themselves.

And both grandmothers
are here too.

Three generations of
winemakers.

[making a toast in French]

[conversation in French
continues]

[narrator] It's quite something

to drink a wine
you made yourself,

35 years ago.

But wait,
there's a fourth generation.

[chatter in French]

Little Celeste
is Michel's grand-daughter.

She's just two years old.

[baby talk]

[laughter and chatter]

Will Celeste be the first of a
new generation of winemakers

in 20 or 30 years time?

[engine rumbling]

It's not all Sunday lunches,
being a winemaker.

You have to be master
of all trades,

not just cellar master.

In the high summer,
the vineyards are plowed,

to aerate the soil.

Chemical weed-killers are used
less and less in Burgundy.

The vines are growing as fast
as they ever will.

They must be sorted out
and tied up

so that the grapes
can be picked more easily.

The whole family turns out
to help.

This is Fabienne,
Thibault's mother.

Most winemakers
trim their vines mechanically.

It's fast and cheap.

But the very best Domains can
afford to do everything by hand.

This is Arnaud Mortet,

another of Martine's
winemakers.

He prides himself

in personally trimming
every single vine he owns.

And he does this
several times a year.

And one winemaker
doesn't trim her vines at all.

[speaking French]

[narrator] This is
Lalou Bise-Leroy,

known as
the Queen of Burgundy.

[speaking French]

[speaking French]

[narrator]
The intimate relationship

between humans and vines
is summed up

[speaking French]

[birds singing]

[narrator]
It's mid-summer:

at least two months
'til the harvest.

At Clos Vougeot,
there's a celebration.

The chateau opens its doors
to the Chevaliers du Tastevin.

The Chevaliers are Burgundy's
biggest fans.

More than 500 of the
specially selected members

will sit down
to a six-course meal,

accompanied by the finest wines
of the region.

[counting in French]

Everything has to be
just right.

For Burgundy lovers,
this is the Holy of Holies.

The tradition dates back
only to the 1930's...

but still.

The first round
in this test of stamina

is an ice-cold glass
of sparkling wine.

Thibault and his wife Christine
are Martine Saunier's guests.

[sizzling]

Serving 500 people
simultaneously

to a cordon bleu meal

takes a little thought.

Meanwhile,
the ceremony begins.

New members will be initiated

into the Knighthood
of Wine Tasters.

And then
down to the serious business.

It's a six-course banquet:

baby rabbit
with a Saint Romain to drink,

sea urchins
with a Grand Cru Corton,

All that and more.
And entertainment!

[applause]

[narrator] Some people
have come 2000 miles

for this dinner,

like these Russian generals.

All this in honor of the wines
of Burgundy.

[crickets chirping]

[narrator] when should you
start to pick the grapes?

Everyone has to make
their own decision.

If possible,
avoid the full moon,

it's generally agreed.

It's usually around 100 days
after the vines have flowered,

but that depends on the
kind of weather you're having.

In 2011, the summer turned wet
and cold.

The vines, which had been three
weeks in advance in June,

now slowed down.

The harvest was still
going to be early,

but how early?

August the 20th?
September the first?

You have to watch the sky,

because rain
is the decisive factor

at this stage.

[water trickling]

where it's warmer.

And so it was in 2011.

On August the 25th,

Dominique Cornin gathered
together a motley band

of students and locals,

and set out for one of
his most valuable vineyards.

But there's tension in the air.

It's still only August, and
many of the grapes are ready,

and a major rainstorm
threatens.

These are high value grapes.

They're being grown for the
ancient Hospice de Beaune.

Dominique can't afford to lose
any of these.

He's personally
out in the fields,
all day long,

on the tractor.

And so the harvest begins
three weeks earlier than usual,

and the weather forecast
is terrible.

[thunder rumbles]

But rain isn't the only
problem.

What if it turns to hail?

[Michel speaking French]

[narrator] On August the 31st,

Thibault gets an email
from the laboratory.

Their very best grapes
are ready to pick,

but storms are forecast,

and their grape-pickers
won't arrive for two days.

Michel talks to the lab.

[speaking French]

[narrator] The decision's made.

They'll harvest
the Grand Cru Batard tomorrow,

and the family will have to do
all the work.

The Batard is the most valuable
land the Morey-Coffinets own.

Just up the road
from their home,

it produces superb Chardonnay.

But in this sea of vines,
they only own six rows.

The question is...

which six?

All that marks their last row

is a knotted piece of cloth.

The task at hand

is for five people to bring in
the entire crop,

before the grapes heat up
in the noonday sun.

[soft chatter in French]

Picking grapes
is back-breaking work.

You get into a rhythm.

As the sun rises,
the chatter dies down.

[conversation in French]

[narrator] Before they
get too hot,

the grapes are rushed back
to the winery.

They're given
a quick inspection,

and then they're on the way
to the wine press.

White grapes are crushed
immediately,

and the juice is separated
from the skins and bits of twig.

That is, when you can get
the machine started.

[speaking French]

[alarm beeps]

[machine hums]

[narrator] This is what will
turn into a Batard Grand Cru-

after 18 months of fermentation
and tender loving care.

Today it's just grape juice.

In two years time,

it'll cost you
more than $200 a bottle.

[hose sucks]

The juice is
immediately pumped

into stainless steel
holding tanks, to keep it cool.

That way, fermentation
won't begin too soon.

Already, perhaps,

the expert can tell how good
the eventual wine may be.

[insects and birds chirp]

The worst thing
about the summer of 2011

was that the rain came
too close to the harvest.

[flies buzzing]

[Sebastien speaking French]

[machine buzzes]

[narrator] But you can't
wait too long,

or the grapes will spoil
on the vine.

So, on the 28th of August,

the Gays made their final
preparations for the harvest.

Family winemakers need to do
everything themselves,

from planting new vines
to light welding.

Everything has to be ready
for the big day,

right down to the beds set up
for the grape-pickers.

And then,
it's a waiting game.

Waiting for the perfect day
to begin.

By the end of August,
all over Burgundy,

fleets of white vans
are on the road.

The harvest is in full swing.

An army of temporary workers
will be assembled,

some of them old hands,
some of them new.

At Sebastien and Michel Gay's,
they sign in,

and then it's out to the fields.

It's Michel, Sebastien's father,
who runs things in the field.

His problem, in this vineyard,
is hail.

Many of the grapes
have been damaged,

and that's why
they started here,

to save the crop.

[speaking French]

[chatter in French]

[narrator] 9:30 am:
first break in the day,

time for a hearty snack.

French grape-pickers
expect to be well-fed,

and Michel's one of the crew.

[conversations in French]

It may be only 9:30, but that's
no reason not to have a drink

and make a few friends.

[laughter and chatter
in French]

9:45: The first batch
from the hail-damaged vineyard

is on its way
back to the winery.

Sebastien's in charge here.

He can't afford to let
any of the damaged grapes

get through the sorting
process.

[speaking French]

it's cooler, and they haven't
started the harvest yet.

Christophe Perrot-Minot
wants to wait
'til the last possible minute

to get the maximum flavor
out of his grapes.

He and his winemaker
take samples for testing.

Note, it's the owner
of the Domain

who does this work personally.

Christophe knows every row
of vines in over 20 vineyards,

[speaking French]

[narrator] Perrot-Minot
will now take these grapes

back to the lab, his lab,
for analysis.

Only then will he know
when to harvest.

Absolute precision is required.

[speaking French together]

[narrator] An exact number
of grapes is counted out...

and then crushed.

[machine hissing]

The grape juice is filtered,
and then analyzed by computer.

Are these grapes ready?

[beeps]

The read-out says it all:
acidity, sugar content.

What was once done
by hunch alone,

is now a science.

The wild card is the weather.

You might want to wait a day
or two, but you don't want rain.

[speaking French]

[narrator] Another storm
is on the way,

and Perrot-Minot
is taking no chances.

He'll start tomorrow.

[chatter in French]

[narrator] The procedure
is more or less the same,

at every winery in Burgundy.

Assemble the troops
at 7 o'clock and-

first things first-
do the paperwork.

This being France,

there's an unimaginable
quantity of paperwork.

Every single employee
has to be entirely legal.

Five separate
government departments

and the police
check on who's working.

Christophe's father leads
the troops out into the fields,

but the briefing is given
by his son.

[speaking French]

[narrator] The briefing over,

the harvesters are assigned
their duties.

Now, the hard work begins.

Every move is supervised
by the Perrot-Minots.

Every bucket of grapes
is scrutinized.

[speaking French]

[narrator] So worried
is Christophe

about the rotten grapes,

that he hurries back
to the winery...

in fact, he runs.

The first batch
has already arrived

and is now being processed.

[speaking French]

[narrator] Everybody is
completely focused

on the grapes.

[speaking French]

But Christophe will soon have
something else to worry about.

[police sirens approaching]

Who's have guessed that the
police would choose today

to arrive and check everybody's
work permit...

And stop the photography too,
of course.

[helicopter blades thumping]

Not only do they come
to your door,

they're watching you
from the sky.

Helicopter patrols check who's
harvesting where and when.

Christophe's father
has seen it all before.

[chatter in French]

[narrator] Lunchtime
for the grape-pickers

at Domaine Morey-Coffinet.

There'll be four courses, all
prepared, cooked and served,

by Thibault's mother, Fabienne.

Fabienne will put on
this kind of meal,

for 27 people,

twice a day,
for a week.

It's not surprising
that most of the locals,

and some of the students,

come back here,
to work the harvest,

year after year.

all the attention
is on the grapes

at the winery
of Lalou Bize-Leroy.

[speaking French]

[narrator] Pinot Noir
produces a low yield.

The best grapes
are incredibly valuable.

20 pairs of eyes
are checking them.

The sharpest eyes of all
are Lalou's.

Since she started wine-making,

she has supervised
the quality of her grapes...

personally.

Not a single blemish
will be permitted.

At last, it's all over.

The harvest is finished
at Domaine Morey-Coffinet.

[humming]

[laughter]

There's a tradition here
that on the last afternoon,

there's some fun.

They let off steam.

The youngest grape-picker
gets to tease the boss.

There's some horsing around.

Then there's happy chaos.

[laughter and screaming]

At the heart of the chaos,
Michel Morey,

owner of the Domain.

Not every winery sees the boss
join in the craziness.

[chatter in French]

[narrator] Everyone knows
it's time to relax.

Back at the house,

preparations are in hand for a
more sophisticated celebration.

Cleaned up, after the
food-fight in the fields,

the grape-pickers come to
a party in the cellars,

to honor the harvest of 2011.

Everyone's here, hosted of
course by Michel and Thibault.

They're pouring a selection of
bottles from the last ten years.

Even Celeste is part
of the party,

of course.

Now is a time to reflect,
to consider past vintages,

to taste and to enjoy.

Maps of Burgundy,
the Chassagne region,

remind the students
that they're following

a thousand-year tradition.

Like generations before them,

they're learning from those
who know fine wine.

Outside in the fields,

the first signs of autumn
are appearing.

The vine-leaves have done
their work for the year.

They've harvested the sun,
they've created the grapes.

Now, they die.

Every year,
it's a spectacular show.

Sebastien Gay is the first
of all the winemakers

to punch down his grapes.

Pigeage, as it's known,
is only done to red grapes,

and helps to infuse the juice

with the red color
and flavor of the skins.

These are the grapes from the
hail-damaged vineyard.

They're starting to ferment
of their own accord,

so this must be done soon,
and fast.

From here on, every winemaker
does things their own way.

[speaking French]

[narrator] How to do pigeage
isn't a secret.

It's what the winemakers learn
from doing it that's important.

Some of them insist
on getting right into the tank,

to understand
what they're dealing with.

[speaking French]

[narrator] Just down the road
from Perrot-Minot,

Lalou Bize-Leroy is reviewing
her harvest with Martine.

[speaking French]

[speaking French]

[narrator] Down this
sorting table

come very special grapes.

From them, Lalou Bize-Leroy
makes some of the rarest,

most famous, most expensive
wines on Earth.

Each one created by its own
unique combination of yeasts.

The future value of what's in
these vats is hard to imagine.

And if you go downstairs,
you enter Aladdin's cave,

because here are Lalou's wines
in barrel,

and visitors get to try
whatever is offered.

What's offered is very good
indeed.

[speaking French]

[wind blowing]

[narrator] In the depths
of winter,

the winemakers of Burgundy
go to ground.

Barrels add flavor, over time.

But every day, they lose a
little of their contents to
evaporation.

Too much air in the barrel
does no favors to red wine,

so they need to be topped up,
at least once a week.

The wine also likes
to be gently stirred.

[Thibault speaking French]

[bottling machine hums loudly]

[narrator] But is there room
in the modern world

for the winemaker-artist,

who creates unique wines
to suit his own personality?

[narrator] How much will
the standard tastes

of the international market
force Burgundy to change?

How will the winemakers survive,

if they insist on allowing
each vintage

to be its own unique self?

[crow cawing]

4000 miles to the west
of France,

lies one of Burgundy's
most important markets,

the United States.

This is Blackberry Farm,
a luxury resort in Tennessee.

[chatter and laughter]

[all]
Cheers!

[narrator] A group of friends
get together

to enjoy the best of Burgundy.

These are people who look
for wines that are unique.

[Peter Harper]
Wonderful color. Wonderful.

[man]
This is spectacular.

[narrator] They are tasting

Christophe Perrot-Minot's
2008 Chambertin.

[chatter]

Wonderful.

Now I'm going
to introduce you

to my third winemaker
I brought specially,

He is the grandson
of Marc Morey,

famous winemaker.

And also, I have to tell you,

Thibault is a great pianist
also.

[all talking]

This wine is very delicate,

and it needs maybe
eight or ten years to open.

But we'll try to taste it now.

[narrator] The future
of Burgundy

depends on the taste
of connoisseurs like these.

This is a Premier Cru,
very famous

in Burgundy.

[narrator] Later, there'll be
a dinner,

with a Burgundy to match
each course.

This is wine like this
you should have made.

How about to Blackberry Farm?

[all]
To Blackberry Farm.

And to good friends.

[all]
Good friends.

[narrator] As the year turns,

the wine-making families go out
in ones and twos,

to prune their vines.

This will make
the root stalk stronger

for the next harvest.

They burn the dead wood
right here in the field.

The ashes fall to the ground,
making good natural fertilizer.

This is something they've done
for hundreds of years.

But then,
there's a lot of things
they do in Burgundy,

that they've been doing for
hundreds of years.

In a couple of months,
exactly when, who knows,

the first signs of spring
will come again,

and then, it'll be another
year in Burgundy.