Translation missing: en.Burgundy - Côte d’or: Burgundy - Côte d’or

The Côte D’or is home to some of the most sought-after and expensive wines in the world. This region has a rich history dating back to the Romans, but some of the most important developments came under the reign of Charlemagne with monks mapping out the different plots that we know today. The Côte D’Or is the region where terroir has the most significance where vineyards that are a stone’s throw away from each other can produce distinctly different wines; leading wine lovers on a wild goose chase to taste and identify them all. Burgundian vignerons were also some of the first to introduce some of the modern winemaking techniques of barrel fermentation, lees aging and malolactic fermentation which have been highly influential around the world.

LOCATION:
The Côte D’Or is situated in the north-east of France and runs 65km north-south from Dijon to Maranges.

TERROIR:
The Côte D’Or has a cool continental climate and is often prone to spring frost. The soil composition changes drastically between villages but for the most part is based on limestone and clay.

VARIETIES:
Chardonnay is the primary white grape which is dominant in the southern Côte de Beaune and Pinot Noir is the primary red grape of Burgundy which is dominant in the northern Côte de Nuits. There are smaller plantings of other grapes such as Aligote but these can only be labelled under a regional appellation. 

PRODUCERS:

Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, Armand Rousseau, Domaine Dujac, Domaine Comte Georges de Vogue, Domaine Leflaive, Coche-Dury, Bernard-Bonin, Nicole Lamarche, Domaine Denis Mortet, Pierre Girardin, Edouard Confuron, Antoine Jobard, Philippe Pacalet, Benjamin Leroux, Domaine de L’Arlot, Henri Gouges, Charles Van Canneyt, Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey, Jean-Marc Bouley, Paul Pillot, Hubert-Lamy

HIERARCHY:
Bourgogne: These wines can be produced from anywhere in Burgundy and generally come from the vineyards at the very bottom or top of the slope. Regional wines account for about 52% of total production.

Village: These wines must be sourced entirely from vineyards within a village’s appellation boundaries and are often a blend of multiple sites. These vineyards are generally of higher quality than regional ones and are usually positioned in a more ideal spot on the slope. Village wines account for about 37% of total production.

Premier Cru: Premier Cru wines come from vineyards that are considered to be ideal for viticulture due to better positioning on the slope for water drainage and sun exposure as well as other factors such as soil type. Wines made from a single climat will note the vineyard on the label, others that are blended from a few different vineyards will simply be labelled “Premier Cru”. Premier Cru wines account for 10% of total production.

Grand Cru:  Grand Cru wines represent the crème de la crème of Burgundy with ideal positioning in the middle of the slope and the perfect combination of other factors. There are 33 Grand Cru vineyards and the name will appear on the label as well. Grand Cru wines account for roughly 1% of total production.