The Wines Of The Côte de Beaune

If Pinot Noir is king of the Côte de Nuits, then Chardonnay is without doubt the Empress of the Côte de Beaune. Stretching south of Nuits St Georges, from the northernmost village of Pernand-Vergelesses to Santenay in the south of the region.

The vineyards occupy a narrow strip of land, at most 5km wide, based on a limestone soil, which is very favourable to the production of top class Chardonnays. This is the region with such names as Le Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet and Meursault. Still, despite this incredible potential for white Burgundies, around two thirds of Côte de Beaune production is actually red wine from Pinot Noir. This is where the Grand Cru Corton which makes powerful, structured reds comes into play. In general though, the reds have a more immediate, softer charm than the Nuits wines.

This page mostly focuses on the regional appellation of the Côte de Beaune rather than villages. Explore individual appellation and village wines below.

Cotes De Beaune Vineyard Classifications

Burgundy vineyard classifications are extremely detailed, more so than anywhere else, placed into a four-tier hierarchy based on soil, microclimates and sunlight levels among other things. The hierarchy can be divided like so:

• Regional appellations - Some examples include Bourgogne, Bourgogne Aligote, Crémant de Bourgogne etc.
• Village appellations - Villages renowned for their terroir, such as Pommard and Volnay.
• Premier Crus - Classified climats within villages denoting locations of even higher quality, such as Pommard Les Pézerolles or Volnay Les Mitans.
• Grand Crus - The highest classification of vineyard sites. Names such as Richebourg Grand Cru and Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru.

This is all further complicated when the appellations then have even more detailed geographical information. A regional appellation can have additional info added, for example, where Hautes Côtes de Beaune can become Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune, or have a village name added to it, such as Bourgogne Chitry. Village appellations, as seen above, can have the name of a premier cru added. Grand Cru vineyards can have the climat added, such as Richebourg Les Vérroilles ou Richebourgs. And then there is Macon to consider. Macon-Lugny, Macon-Vinzelles and so on. There's a lot to unpack in Burgundy!

Regional appellations - Hautes Côte De Beaune & Bourgogne

The Hautes Cotes de Beaune covers the wines produced on the higher slopes of the west of the region, and around 80% of the production is red, with a tiny amount of rose, and the rest white. Due to the higher altitude and the cooler climate, the grapes aren't as ripe, resulting in a lighter and less concentrated style than those of the Cotes de Beaune Villages. Still, they are capable of offering good value against the ever-rising cost of Burgundy wines.

Other regional appellations in Burgundy include Bourgogne, Bourgogne Aligoté, Bourgogne Passe-Tout-Grains, Coteaux Bourguignons and Crémant de Bourgogne et Bourgogne Côte d'Or. Essentially, they represent wines from a wider area within Burgundy and make excellent introductory wines and good value propositions too.

Cote de Beaune Village appellations

Adding to the mix, be careful not to confuse the Villages here with the Côte-de-Beaune-Villages appellation, which is a designation for red wines only. In terms of individual villages in this region, there are 20 villages listed in the Cote de Beaune under the Vins de Bourgogne appellation list.

These cover red, white and rose, and although red dominates production, the whites are the most renowned. Yields and regulations are stricter than for regional Bourgogne red and white, but the ultimate quality level does come down to the producer or the negociant.

Cote de Beaune Villages

• Meursault

  Possibly the most famous of the Cote de Beaune, Meursault is a top quality Chardonnay appellation, among the very best in the world. And the only real contender is next door in Montrachet. Ripe, nutty, flinty, honeyed, toasty and buttery are just some of the hallmarks. A rich, white with great body, depth and complexity.

• Puligny-Montrachet

  Virtually all wines here are white and it contains some of the most celebrated Grand Crus of Burgundy. Defined and established on ideal limestone soils, the whites are intense, complex and carry immense depth of character.

• Chassagne-Montrachet

  Boasting Grand Crus like Batard-Montrachet and Le Montrachet, this is Puligny's esteemed neighbour. Which is best? It really comes down to your own preference, if you have deep enough pockets to pay to taste these brilliant wines! Chassagne produces more red than Puligny which is also noteworthy, although somewhat overshadowed by Chardonnay.

• Aloxe-Corton

  Perhaps one of the most perfect wine growing locations, Aloxe-Corton builds on the approach towards the red Grand Cru Corton and the white Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru. It produces a number of Premier Cru reds that are structured and ageworthy.

• Pommard

  Pommard is known for being a place of strong, structured reds. They are rich, deep and ageworthy with hefty tannin and body. Delicious for the seasoned red wine lover. It is red wine only here.

• Volnay

  Volnay occupies the hill of Chaignot, high in the Cote de Beaune, which gives the wines delicacy and an aromatic bouquet. It is often reffered to as 'feminine'. That said, certain Lieux-dits can certainly give you a beefier wine. Red wine is only made here.

• Saint Aubin

  Saint-Aubin, although lesser-known, produces white wines of exceptional quality and much better affordability than a lot of Burgundy. It is made in the style of Montrachet and Meursault, but to a lesser degree of quality. Over 75% of the vineyards are Premier Cru. Reds from here are also very good, fleshy and juicy in style.

• Santenay

  Santenay lies far to the south, where the soils move from limestone into heavier clay/marl based. Thus, red is more common here. They are rich and perfumed with supple, poised body.

• Maranges

  Maranges overlaps a little with the vineyards and Premier Crus of Santenay. The main production is Pinot Noir that are fairly light in style although can benefit from a little age. The whites are nice and mineral-led with honeyed notes.

• Pernand-Vergelesses

  Located near Aloxe-Corton and Ladoix, the Premier Cru appellation here is only for white wines with mineral depth and a light reminiscense of the Grand Cru Corton-Charlemagne.

• Savigny-Les-Beaune

  Savigny produces a little amount of high quality whites whilst the reds tend to lean towards a more attractive, young red fruit character than the great reds of Burgundy. That said, you can still find concentrated, powerful reds, for a price.

• Chorey-Les-Beaune

  Lying on lower slopes, the reds from here are usually lighter in style and approachable in youth. Supple with lower tannin, they retain a good amount of fruit character to make a great introductory wine to the heavier reds of Burgundy.

• Beaune

  The capital of Burgundy is as impressive a place as its wines. Here you will find Pinot vermilion, a wine which has a legacy stretching back to the late Middle Ages, known for its aromatic, fiery style. There are a range of styles here, but red wines from Premier Crus here are plentiful. A small amount of white is made too.

• Monthelie

  Monthelie is located between Volnay and Meursault with a south/south-east aspect. Reds can be velvety and firm with a good amount of tannin whilst the few whites produced are full bodied.

• Auxey-Duresses

  These vineyards lie west of Meursault and produce about two thirds red, one third white. Much of the production is sold under the Cotes de Beaune Villages appellation, but the area does have a few premier cru vineyards of good quality. The reds offer a more straightforward, fruity version of the Volnay style, and the whites not dissimilar, but less concentrated than Meursault.

• Saint-Romain

  A little known and often overlooked area, west of Auxey-Duresses, occupying a higher altitude site. Because of this, the reds can be very light, perfumed and elegant in nature. Chardonnay grows well here with a focus on minerality and the more acidic style. There are no premier crus here, however, there are a few Lieux-dits to look out for.

• Blagny

  Despite being between Puligny-Montrachet and Meursault, Blagny produces only reds. However, it has a few Premier Crus to its name that give you an idea of the quality of these. They have good ageability and need some time to soften the tannins.

• Ladoix

  One of the most northern villages, lying very close to the world famous Corton vineyard, this is one of the least know Burgundy appellations, producing reds, which are closer in character to the fuller reds of the Cote de Nuits. It has a number of Premier Cru climats and Lieux-dits.