Back roads of Burgundy, part 1: the Côte de Beaune

The common lament that Burgundy wine is overpriced is far from universally true. Those with imagination, determination and a good GPS can still find their way to a profusion of estates in the Côte d’Or where ‘value-priced, high-quality Burgundy’ is not a contradiction in terms.

The only thing required is a trip down the back roads of Burgundy, where you can find top-quality wines at a fraction of the price of the better-known villages and lovely everyday wines that still sell for a song. We tasted so many that this will be a two-part article.

Scroll down for scores and tasting notes for Charles Curtis MW’s 20 must-try Côte de Beaune wines

The first instalment explores the back roads of the Côte de Beaune.

The Côte de Beaune is the southern portion of the Côte d’Or, where the limestone slopes turn to face slightly south. The division begins at Ladoix-Serrigny, the northernmost village of the Côte de Beaune. The hill of Corton, with its grand crus Corton and Corton-Charlemagne, is the focal point here. The slopes of Corton are followed by the majestic hills behind the town of Beaune.

South of Beaune lie the well-known red wine villages of Pommard and Volnay and the famous white wine villages: Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, and Chassagne-Montrachet.

For many, this is as far as they get in their exploration of the Côte de Beaune.

This overview, however, is only the beginning.

This article explores:

• The Hautes-Côtes
• Monthélie and Auxey-Duresses
• Above Meursault and St-Romain
• Blagny
• St-Aubin
• Santenay
• Maranges

The Hautes-Côtes

A little road leads north and west out of Ladoix and quickly climbs to the Hautes Côtes de Beaune region, beginning with the village of Magny-lès-Villers. As the name implies, the Hautes-Côtes are at a higher elevation than the main section of the Côte d’Or.

Magny-lès-Villers marks the border between the Hautes-Côtes de Nuit and the Hautes-Côtes de Beaune. The appellation Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune includes sixteen villages at these higher elevations as well as the upper slopes of the thirteen more well-known villages of the proper Côte de Beaune. The terroir is cooler at these higher altitudes.

Before global warming, the Hautes-Côtes ripened grapes with difficulty and was better known for the production of blackcurrants for the region’s Kir Royales than for wine.

Today there are 835 hectares planted to grapes here, according to the Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB). Just over 80% of this is Pinot Noir, but Chardonnay is also becoming increasingly popular.

This series of villages runs parallel to the central part of the Côte de Beaune, just out of sight to the west.

Monthélie and Auxey-Duresses

Travellers along the Route Nationale 74 head directly from Volnay to Meursault, and many overlook both Monthélie and Auxey-Duresses. However, the Route de Beaune lies closer to the slope and passes through both villages before heading into the Hautes-Côtes.

These two villages are nestled in the valleys of the small streams that break up the Côte as they flow down from the slopes. Monthélie borders Volnay to the west and produces both red and white wine. The best vineyards of the village are found in two locations.

The first set is essentially a continuation of the Volnay premier cru Clos de Chênes. The other important site, in Monthélie, is the steep slope rising from the Route de Beaune to face directly east, where the premier crus Les Duresses and Les Clous are located.

The vineyard of Les Duresses continues into Auxey-Duresses, where it lends its name to the village. The majority of the vines rest along the north bank of the stream, called the Ruisseau des Cloux, facing south.

Their location in the valley leading to the Hautes Côtes is a cooler terroir, and the grapes don’t always ripen well. Reds can be tannic, and whites very crisp. Here, all of the premier crus rest where the hill turns slightly toward the east as it bends towards Monthélie. Vineyards continue for some distance into the valley, towards another small hamlet called Petit Auxey, itself surrounded by vines. There are also more vineyards on the border with Saint-Romain near a tiny village called Melin.

Above Meursault and St-Romain

In addition to these vines in the valley (combe), there are vineyards on the slopes above Meursault. These face north and are most appropriate for growing Chardonnay. They are essentially a continuation of the climats of Meursault, including Les Vireuils, Les Luchets, and Les Meix Chavaux.

Perhaps the best-known terroir on the Auxey side of the divide is Les Hautés. These whites are lively and fresh but lack the rich, buttery character of Meursault.

Continuing west in the direction of the Hautes-Côtes, the valley opens up again in the dramatically beautiful Saint-Romain with its sharp cliffs that are among the most often instagrammed sights in Burgundy, according to the local paper.

The region has a long history, but the wines have not always stood in high esteem.

In his landmark book ‘Côte d’Or – A celebration of the great wines of Burgundy’, Clive Coates remarks that ‘Saint-Romain is really part of the Hautes-Côtes, but has enjoyed full village Appellation Contrôlée status since 1947.’

Before 1947, St-Romain was classified with the Hautes-Côtes because of the high elevation (350 – 400 metres). The majority of the vineyards, however, are arranged in a sun-capturing amphitheater.

Two large lieux-dits, Sous Roche and Combe Bazin, face southwest and are mainly devoted to red wines; on the opposite side, Sous la Velle and Sous le Château face east and are more often dedicated to whites.

Connoisseurs once felt that St-Romain was much better for whites than for reds, but today producers are making increasingly successful versions of both. The limestone cliffs nourish the grapes with calcium, delivering pronounced mineral flavours. The south-facing slopes can ripen Pinot Noir very well, and although tannins can be firm, close attention to the harvest date can help to ensure optimal ripeness.

Blagny

Blagny is another interesting corner of Burgundy, tucked away and hidden from view along the southern edge of Meursault. 

This tiny village sits at the top of the slope between Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet at elevations above 350 metres. The Blagny AOC is only for red wines, making it a bit of a paradox, a corner of Pinot Noir high on the slope in the heart of white wine country. However, until recent years, red wines from this part of the Côte de Beaune were in the majority. 

Today, although they have their own appellation, Blagny rouges are very rare. According to the BIVB, there are only 4.46 hectares in production. White wine is also produced in Blagny, but it must be labeled either Meursault premier cru or Puligny-Montrachet premier cru. 

Chardonnay vines outnumber Pinot Noir ten-to-one, and these wines can be outstanding. Writing in 1855, Dr. Lavalle proclaimed that ‘Blagny-Blanc’ was equal in quality to Bâtard-Montrachet.

St-Aubin

Near the border between Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet lies the path of the former Route Nationale 6 that links Chablis to Lyon. To the north of this road lies Mont Rachet, the hill where the legendary vineyard of Montrachet is found. 

The higher sections of this hill are in the appellation of St-Aubin, and the premiers crus, particularly Les Murgers des Dents du Chien and En Remilly at the mouth of this valley, can produce extraordinary wine although they face southwest rather than due south. 

Continuing along the Route Nationale, past the village of Gamay, one finds another set of premier crus facing east, including Les Frionnes. Located further into the valley, these are cooler sites.

St-Aubin once produced a much more significant proportion of red wine. This is true of the whole of the southern Côte de Beaune.

Santenay

This tradition continues in Santenay, south of Chassagne-Montrachet, on the opposite side of the hill from the St-Aubin vineyards. Here the large premier crus La Comme, Clos de Tavannes, Les Gravières and Beauregard share many similarities with the Morgeot section of Chassagne.

There is another section of premier crus above the central part of the village that includes Beaurepaire and La Maladière, as well as another segment that borders Maranges. 

Red and white wines are both produced, but the former outnumber the latter by a factor of five to one.

With Santenay we come to the border of the Côte d’Or département. However, there are three villages in the Saône-et-Loire that are included in the Côte de Beaune: Cheilly-lès-Maranges, Sampigny-lès-Maranges, and Dezize-lès-Maranges.

Maranges

The three villages were combined in 1988 to form the single appellation of Maranges. Geologically, this is a part of the Côte d’Or as it is a continuation of the terroir of Santenay.

Cheilly-lès-Maranges is located on the border with Santenay, where the vines face southeast. Further along the Valley of La Cosanne, in Sampigny (at the base of the slope), and Dezize (slightly higher up), the vineyards face directly south. It is here that one finds the notable premier cru La Fussière. This is some of the most beautiful, bucolic countryside in Burgundy, and there is some surprisingly delicious, and affordable, wine being produced here.

A trip down the backroads of the Côte de Beaune will certainly pay vinous dividends.

Charles Curtis MW’s 20 must-try Côte de Beaune wines

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