Côte de beaune

Subcategories

• 

  Volnay

  Volnay is a village in the Cote de Beaune sub-region of Burgundy, renowned for making some of the smoothest, most delicate red wines of the southern Cote d'Or. Located between Pommard (famous for its powerful reds) and Meursault (the home of rich whites).

  Volnay has had its own appellation since 1937, reserved exclusively for red wines made from Pinot Noir.

  More than half of the vineyards covered by the Volnay title are rated as Premier Cru.

  The top Volnays possess an immense, seductive, fruitiness and lushness, particulary from vineyards such as Clos des Chênes, Taillepieds, Bousse d'Or, Clos des Ducs.

• 

  Savigny-lès-beaune

  Savigny-les-Beaune is a large village in the Cote de Beaune sub-region of Burgundy, nestled between the hillsides of a sub-valley in the Cote d'Or escarpment.

• 

  Meursault

  Meursault is a large village in the Cote de Beaune sub-region of Burgundy.

  The most famous of these are produced at the southern end of the commune, at the Charmes, Perrieres and Genevrieres sites.

• 

  Pommard

  The vineyards of Pommard are sandwiched between those of Beaune on the Nord and Volnay to the south.

  The appellation of Pommard is very large, covering over 1'600 acres. Less than 20 % of that is in Premiers crus.

  The most famous Premiers crus are les Epenots and Les Rugiens.

  Les Rugiens, which is divided in two sections called Hauts (high) and Bas (low), is located to the south of the village near the border of the Volnay appelation. Most of the Rugiens have rich, robust, intense taste, and often display a pronounced peppery. If Pommard ever obtains Grand Cru status for one of its vineyards, it should be Les Rugiens.

  Pommard at its best is the fullest wine made in  the Côte de Beaune. Less tannic but fatter than Corton, it is soft as well as concentrated, with a big heady perfume.

  Top Pommards drink well between the  ages of 4 and 12 years. Only a handful improve beyond a decade.

• 

  Puligny Montrachet

  Puligny-Montrachet is a village in the Cote de Beaune sub-region of Burgundy, with its own communal appellation.

  It is also home to four Grand Cru vineyards (Montrachet, Batard Montrachet, Chevalier-Montrachet, Bienvenue-Batard-Montrachet) and 17 Premier Cru sites.

• 

  Beaune

  Beaune is the epicenter of Burgundy's wine trade and  the second-largest town in the famous Cote d'Or wine region.

  Beaune wines have always been predominantly red, made from Burgundy’s flagship grape, Pinot Noir.

• 

  Corton

  Twenty miles south of Dijon and 4 miles north of Beaune is the delightful village of Aloxe-Corton.

  General Corton (red wine) characteristics: they have a pronounded, earthy, intense, spicy, burnt cherry gout de terroir character that is unique. Perhpas a useful comparison are the very mineral, tobacco-scented and flavored wines of the Graves appelation of Bordeaux. Red Corton, because of its earthy, often dusty, tannic character, is more difficult to appreciate when young. The best examples can age as well, perhaps even longer, than the top wines from the Côte de Nuits.

  General Corton (white wine) characteristics: Corton-Charlemagne is truly one of the world's most compelling expressions of Chardonnay grape. It is a big, forceful, powerful wine that usually needs 4 to 5 years to open up.

• 

  Santenay

  Santenay is a charming village, at the southern end of the Côte de Beaune, below the Mont de Sène. 

  The wines produced here are predominantly red and made from Pinot Noir, although a small quantity of Chardonnay is also produced.

  The red wines  are full, rich. They generally offer good value for money.

  Some figures about the appellation Santenay :

  • 254 hectares of village Santenay.
  • 124 hectares of premier cru vineyards (10 in all). Best vineyards include Les Gravières, La Maladière, Clos de Tavannes
• 

  Chassagne Montrachet

  Chassagne-Montrachet is a village in the Cote de Beaune sub-region of Burgundy with its own communal appellation, created in 1937.

  Chassagne-Montrachet is best known for its rich white wines made from Chardonnay, and also produces excellent red wine from Pinot Noir.

  Chassagne-Montrachet is home to the most southerly of Burgundy's Grand Cru vineyard sites, Criots-Batard-Montrachet.