The Many Faces of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir: A Short Burgundy Journey from Chablis to Bonnes-Mares

by Yumi Liu

Burgundy is famous for how much it can express with (mostly) just two grape varieties (let’s not forget about lovely Aligoté). Through Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, the region reveals an incredible range shaped by soil, climate, and the people behind the wines. Each bottle carries its own character—a reflection of place, vintage, and the choices made in the cellar.

Chardonnay, in particular, shows remarkable adaptability. In Chablis, it comes across as sharp and mineral, thanks to its marine limestone soils. In Meursault, it becomes broader and creamier, rich in texture. And in the heights of Montrachet and affiliate terroirs, it shows a graceful lightness and refined elegance combined with power and complexity. It’s not a grape that insists on a fixed identity—it’s one of exceptional malleability, able to take on entirely different forms depending on where and how it’s grown and made.

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Yumi Liu

Yumi Liu has been collecting and drinking wine for more than a decade and has earned a slew of wine certificates in the interim: level 3 WSET and now planning diploma studies; Educator level in Spanish wines (Wines of Spain certified), top level New Zeland wines (Wines of New Zeland certified) and obtained the highest score in her class for German wines (Wines of Germany certified). She has passed all of Ian D’Agata’s Italian wine courses and is generally regarded as being one of the most knowledgeable people on Italian wine in all of China. Over the years, she has also served as the Wine Educator at EMW wines, one of China’s five largest and most important fine wine importers and has led masterclasses on wines at prestigious wine shows including the Wine to Asia fair in Shenzhen and Vinitaly in Verona.

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