Saint-Amour, a Bourgogne x Beaujolais crossover!
The Mâconnais has five communal appellations:
(1) Viré-Clessé
(2) Pouilly-Fuissé
(3) Pouilly-Vinzelles
(4) Pouilly-Loché
(5) Saint-Véran
In my opinion, Saint-Véran is the hardest one to learn, and it epitomizes everything that is confusing about the Burgundy appellation system for no freakin' reason (overlapping sites, similar names, varied spellings, etc.):
(A) It surrounds the communal appellation of Pouilly-Fuissé AOC in 8 scattered communes:
(1) Chânes
(2) Chasselas
(3) Davayé
(4) Leynes
(5) Prissé
(6) Saint-Amour-Bellevue
(7) Saint-Vérand
(8) Solutré-Pouilly
(B) The commune Solutré-Pouilly also produces wines under the more prestigious Pouilly-Fuissé appellation.
(C) The commune of Chasselas (#2 above) is not the same as the Swiss white grape, Chasselas.
(D) The appellation was named after the commune of Saint-Vérand (#7 above), but, for some reason, the last "d" in the commune of Saint-Vérand was not included in the name when the appellation was formed. I've seen various reasons out there - A typo?? An "administrative error"?? On purpose?? Who knows…
(E) As the very southern tip of Burgundy, a portion of the commune of Saint-Amour-Bellevue in Saint-Véran (#6 above) actually shares the same land with Saint-Amour, the most northern Cru of Beaujolais, which makes it a Burgundy-Beaujolais crossover!
White wines from Chardonnay can be produced under the Saint-Véran appellation of Bourgogne region or the Beaujolais Blanc appellation, and red wines from Gamay are produced under the Saint-Amour appellation of Beaujolais!
I can't say that I'm going to remember all 8 communes of Saint-Véran forever, but I love Burgundy, and I love Beaujolais so much that I named my baby Beaujolais le Bernedoodle after the region, so I think this is one weird Burgundy fact I'll still remember after my Burgundy exam is done.
Let me know if you want to learn more Burgundy with me!