''Lieu-dit'' (;

plural The plural (sometimes abbreviated pl., pl, or ), in many languages, is one of the values of the grammatical category of number. The plural of a noun typically denotes a quantity greater than the default quantity represented by that noun. This de ...

: ''lieux-dits'') (literally ''said-location'') is a French toponymic term for a small geographical area bearing a traditional name. The name usually refers to some characteristic of the place, its former use, a past event, etc. A lieu-dit may be uninhabited, which distinguishes it from an ''hameau'' (

hamlet ''The Tragedy of Hamlet, Prince of Denmark'', often shortened to ''Hamlet'' (), is a tragedy written by William Shakespeare sometime between 1599 and 1601. It is Shakespeare's longest play, with 29,551 words. Set in Denmark, the play depicts ...

), which is inhabited. In

Burgundy Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The c ...

, the term ''climat'' is used interchangeably with ''lieu-dit''.

Etymology

English speakers seem to have discovered the concept through oenology and have considered it as a

wine term The glossary of wine terms lists the definitions of many general terms used within the wine industry. For terms specific to viticulture, winemaking, grape varieties, and wine tasting, see the topic specific list in the "''See also''" section below ...

which in its typical usage translates as "

vineyard A vineyard (; also ) is a plantation of grape-bearing vines, grown mainly for winemaking, but also raisins, table grapes and non-alcoholic grape juice. The science, practice and study of vineyard production is known as viticulture. Vineyards ...

name" or "named vineyard". Typically, a ''lieu-dit'' is the smallest piece of land which has a traditional vineyard name assigned to it. In most cases, this means that a ''lieu-dit'' is smaller than an ''

appellation d'origine contrôlée An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical boun ...

'' (AOC).

Use in France

In some cases, ''lieux-dits'' appear on wine labels, in addition to the AOC name. This is most commonly seen for

Alsace wine Alsace wine or Alsatian wine (french: Vin d'Alsace; german: Elsässer Wein; gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, d'r Wii vum Elsàss; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, de Win vum Elsàss) is produced in the Alsace region in France and is primarily wh ...

and

Burgundy wine Burgundy wine ( or ') is made in the Burgundy region of eastern France, in the valleys and slopes west of the Saône, a tributary of the Rhône. The most famous wines produced here, and those commonly referred to as "Burgundies," are dry red win ...

. It may not always be easy for consumers to tell if a name on a wine label is a ''lieu-dit'' or a

cuvée ''Cuvée''Or Cuvee on some English-language labels. () is a French wine term that derives from ''cuve'', meaning vat or tank.J. Robinson (ed), ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'', Third Edition, p. 218, Oxford University Press 2006, winepros.com.a ...

name created by the producer. The only case of mandatory mention of a ''lieu-dit'' is in Alsace, for

Alsace Grand Cru AOC Alsace Grand Cru is an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée for wines made in specific parcels of the Alsace wine region of France. The Grand Cru AOC was recognized in 1975 by the INAO with subsequent expansion in 1983, 1992 and 2007.

. The Grand Cru designation may only be used if a ''lieu-dit'' is indicated. ''Lieux-dits'' may also be indicated on regular

Alsace AOC Alsace wine or Alsatian wine (french: Vin d'Alsace; german: Elsässer Wein; gsw, label=Haut Rhin Alsatian, d'r Wii vum Elsàss; gsw, label=Bas Rhin Alsatian, de Win vum Elsàss) is produced in the Alsace region in France and is primarily whi ...

wines, but is not mandatory. In Burgundy, the term ''climat'' is used interchangeably with ''lieu-dit''. The use of the ''lieu-dit'' varies with the level of classification of the wine. Although the

Grand Cru Cru is a wine term used to indicate a high-quality vineyard or group of vineyards. It is a French word which is traditionally translated as "growth", as is the past participle of the verb "croître" (to grow); it literally means 'grown'. The ...

burgundies are generally considered to be classified on the vineyard level and defined as separate AOCs (with the exception of

Chablis Chablis () is a town and commune in the Yonne department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in north-central France. It lies in the valley of the River Serein. Wine The village of Chablis gives its name to one of the most famous French white wines ...

Grand Cru), some Burgundy Grand Crus are in fact divided into several ''lieux-dits''. An example is Corton, where it is fairly common to see ''lieux-dits'' such as Les Bressandes, Le Clos de Roi and Les Renardes indicated. For village level burgundies, the ''lieu-dit'' may only be indicated in smaller print than the village name to avoid confusion with

Premier Cru Cru is a wine term used to indicate a high-quality vineyard or group of vineyards. It is a French word which is traditionally translated as "growth", as is the past participle of the verb "croître" (to grow); it literally means 'grown'. The t ...

burgundies, where the village and vineyard name are indicated in the same size print. In

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...

, ''lieux-dits'' are most commonly seen for some of the top wines of the region. Two examples are the ''lieu-dit'' La Landonne or La Chatillonne within Côte-Rôtie. Not all sites have been registered as ''lieux-dits''. For example La Mouline and Les Jumelles are ''les marques'' of individual producers.

Outside France

In the

United States The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...

, the labeling of

vineyard designated wine A vineyard designated wine is a wine produced from the product of a single vineyard with that vineyard's name appearing on the wine label. Throughout the history of winemaking and viticulture, the differences in quality between one plot of land ...

s follows the similar practice of highlighting the particular vineyard that the grapes are sourced from.

References

{{Authority control Types of administrative division Wine terminology French wine Wine classification French words and phrases