Cote de Beaune
Further south on the Cote d’Or escarpment, this region takes its name from the town of Beaune – probably the best known urban centre in Burgundy. At the top end of this 25km narrow strip of land red wine production dominates although the style tends to get a little lighter. Below this, the white Chardonnays come into their own and this is where you find the great names of white Burgundy like Meursault Chassagne-Montrachet, Puligny Montrachet to name few.
Right at the bottom there’s a return to red wines, probably reflecting the greater variability of soil here than in Cote de Nuits. Besides the designated Grand Cru and Premier Cru parcels there are the 16 Cote de Beaune Villages appellations. Then, just to confuse the issue, there’s a Cote de Beaune appellation that is not a generic appellation for the whole region as you might think, but applies only to a handful of vineyards on the hill immediately above the town of Beaune.
