The Côte de Nuits
in Burgundy

The Côte de Nuits begins with the Marsannay appellation until Clos des Langres (from Dijon in the north to Corgoloin in the south) in the department of Côte d'Or (21).

The vines extend over a narrow strip of slopes of around twenty kilometers, this wine region offers around thirty appellations from the regional AOC to the Grand Cru.

A favorable climate

The vineyards of the Côte de Nuits benefit from a mainly oceanic climate with a semi-continental influence.

a unique geology

The exceptional pedoclimatic conditions allow the pinot noir grape to thrive fully in the Côte de Nuits.

2000 YEARS OF HISTORY

From the 12th century, the monks of the abbey of Cîteaux took care of the vines and transmitted their know-how to the Côte de Nuits.

The Côte de Nuits

Prestigious wines

The Côte de Nuits is renowned for its renowned red wines (90% of total production). The diversity of the terroirs allows each wine to be unique.

It is in this part of Burgundy that the most prestigious red wines are concentrated, hence the nickname "Champs Elysées of Burgundy". Indeed, it is since the 1950s that the winegrowers, through their know-how and their knowledge of the grape variety (pinot noir), have made them the most sought after in the world !

Hierarchy of appellations in Burgundy

In Burgundy, the different plots determine a regional, communal, premier cru and grand cru appellation depending on their geographical location.

In order to better navigate, its 83 appellations have been divided into 4 levels :

The grands crus appellations
The premiers crus appellations
The communales appellations (villages)
The regionales appellations (sometimes called "generic" or "sub-regional")

29 appellations, 24 grands crus for the Côte de Nuits

The grands crus of Burgundy are at the top of the hierarchy since they have the best exposure and the most favorable microclimates. They are big names known internationally.

The grands crus appellations of the Côte de Nuits (10% of the surface area of the Côte), classified by village :

Gevrey-Chambertin

Chambertin
Chambertin-Clos de Bèze
Chapelle-Chambertin
Charmes et Mazoyères-Chambertin
Griotte-Chambertin
Latricières-Chambertin
Mazis-Chambertin
Ruchottes-Chambertin

Vougeot

Clos de Vougeot

Morey-Saint-Denis

Clos Saint-Denis
Clos de la Roche
Clos des Lambrays
Clos de Tart
Bonnes-Mares

Flagey-Echézeaux

Echezeaux
Grands-Echezeaux

Chambolle-Musigny

Musigny (the only grand cru that produces white wine)
Bonnes-Mares

Vosne-Romanée

Romanée
Romanée-Conti
Romanée-St-Vivant
Richebourg
La Tâche
La Grande Rue

These grands crus from the Côte de Nuits only produce red wine with one exception the grand cru Musigny which offers white wine.

Why does the Côte de Nuits have so many great wines?

a favorable climate, mainly oceanic with a semi-continental tendency (frequent rains all year round, cold winters and hot summers), the Côte de Nuits is colder than its neighboring wine regions
soil that is neither too thin nor too thick: the ideal is a soil between 30 and 50 cm like the Romanée-Conti appellation
brown limestone soils rich in marl, the vines are composed of scree, red silt and gravel. Each terroir is diverse which contributes to the typicity of each wine from the Côte de Nuits.
a full east exposure
a maximum altitude between 300 and 400 meters
a gentle slope of 6% to 12%, perfect for water drainage

The premiers crus of Burgundy are found below the grands crus but they remain great wines as well. Each bottle is followed by the name of the plot and respects strict specifications (spacing between vines, size, ...).

Below is the list of villages on the Côte de Nuits offering premiers crus appellations :

Fixin (5 premiers crus)
Gevrey-Chambertin (25 premiers crus)
Morey-Saint-Denis (20 premiers crus)
Chambolle-Musigny (24 premiers crus)
Vougeot (4 premiers crus)
Flagey-Echézeaux (2 premiers crus)
Vosne-Romanée (13 premiers crus)
Nuits Saint-Georges (41 premiers crus)

The communal appellations of Burgundy correspond to the name of the village where the plot is located.

The 10 communal appellations of the Côte de Nuits :

Marsannay
Marsannay Rosé
Fixin
Gevrey-Chambertin
Morey-Saint-Denis
Chambolle-Musigny
Vougeot
Vosne-Romanée
Nuits-Saint-Georges
Côte de Nuits Villages

=> The Côte de Nuits-Villages appellation brings together five municipalities, established in 1964 :

Fixin
Brochon
Premeaux-Prissey
Comblanchien
Corgoloin

The Côte de Nuits-Villages appellation produces more tannic wines in the northern part and softer wines in the southern part. Most of the wines are very colorful, on the nose it is pleasant, aromas of red fruits (cherry, strawberry, ...), black fruit (blackcurrant, blackberry, ...), sweet spices (liquorice, ...) and animals (leather, ...).

The regional appellations of the Côte de Nuits :

Bourgogne
Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits
Coteaux Bourguignons
Bourgogne Aligoté
Bourgogne Passe-Tout-Grains
Bourgogne Mousseux
Crémant de Bourgogne

In the Côte de Nuits, it is the pinot noir grape that remains in the majority, it is planted on 1 600 hectares and thirteen municipalities.

The kingdom of pinot noir

The red wines of the Côte de Nuits are known to be the best in the world !

In general, the wine reveals a dark velvety red color, with a very expressive bouquet. We perceive aromas of red fruits (strawberry, raspberry, ...), black fruits (blueberry, blackberry, morello cherry, ...), flowers (peony, violet, ...), plants (hay, mushroom, ...). On the palate, firm wines with a beautiful structure, tannic and full-bodied with a remarkable aging capacity.

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A few appellations of the Côte de Nuits produce dry white wines of great finesse and only the municipal AOC marsannay produces dry and fruity rosé wine.