Burgundy Côte-de-Beaune
Aloxe-Corton | Auxey-Duresses | Bâtard-Montrachet | Beaune | Blagny | Chassagne-Montrachet | Chorey-les-Beaune | Corton | Corton-Bressandes | Corton-Charlemagne | Maranges | Meursault | Pommard | Puligny-Montrachet | Saint-Aubin | Saint-Romain | Santenay | Savigny-les-Beaune | Volnay
Nestled between Ladoix-Serrigny in the North and the Maranges hillsides of the South, the Côte de Beaune wine growing region covers just 20km – yet this gently undulating landscape, benefiting from a continental climate, is home to world-class appellations. The region produces long-lived Pinot Noirs from recognised names like Henri Boillot's Volnay and Comte Armand's Pommard and Chardonnays like Carillon’s Puligny-Montrachet or Roulot’s Meursault. At the pinnacle of the Grand Cru whites are wines such as Ponsot’s Corton-Charlemagne and DRC’s “Le Montrachet”. Facing the morning sun, these vineyards are never more than a few hundred metres wide. Yet each plot has its own unique terroir.
Click here to read more.While the Côte de Nuits reds may have the lion’s share of the Grand Cru status, (due in part to many of the founders of the AOC system in the 1930s being from the Côte de Beaune – but that’s another story) many of the Côte de Beaune 1er cru reds perform at the same level – look to wines from Violot-Guillemard or the Marquis d’Angerville. On the other hand, they have the supreme white wines - of Grand Cru Status, like the legendary Bâtard-Montrachet.
In the Côte de Beaune there are also more hidden treasures such as Benjamin Leroux’s Saint-Aubin and JM Boillot’s Montagny 1er Cru (fantastic whites) and reds from Chandon de Briaille’s Pernand-Vergelesses, Tollot-Beaut’s Chorey-Les-Beaune, Nicholas Perrault’s Maranges 1er cru, to name (rather) a few.
To the west, vines flourish on the Hautes Côtes de Beaune, a sweeping concave plateau at a 400m altitude. On its sunlit slopes, around 20 communes share their lively, highly drinkable wines from the Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune appellation. Clustered around Beaune township itself, vines are predominently Pinot Noir, though you can spot some Mongeard-Mugneret Chardonnay from this area.
Observing that there is a great deal of nuance here? Want to approach it with someone knowledgable? Send us a note through our "Contact" page we can assist.
