コレクション: Pommard & Volnay

These two villages sit side by side on the Côte de Beaune and make the region's best reds — but they are opposites, and the contrast is one of the clearest lessons in Burgundy.

Pommard — the firmest red in the Côte de Beaune. More clay and iron in the soil gives dark fruit, real tannin and a wine that needs years. It is the least "delicate" Burgundy you can buy.

Volnay — immediately next door, and the softest and most perfumed. Lighter soils, silkier texture, floral and red-fruited. Often called the Chambolle of the Côte de Beaune.

Why they are on one page. Tasting them side by side, from the same vintage, teaches you more about how Burgundy works than any book. Same grape, same year, same winemaking region, two hundred metres apart — and two completely different wines.

Pommard: decant an hour, red meat. Volnay: no decant, 14–15°C, poultry and duck.

All Burgundy