At the heart of the fabulous wine region of Burgundy, located in eastern France, lies the Côte d'Or, home to some of the most extraordinary Pinot Noir red wines and Chardonnay white wines in the world. Translated literally, Côte d'Or means "Golden Slope", reminiscent of the magnificent spread of golden leaves on the vines in the autumn, the last burst of colour before leaf fall and the onslaught of the dark winter months. In actual fact, the name comes from an abbreviation of "Côte d'Orient", which means Eastern slope. Admittedly much less poetic, this limestone ridge was formed when the Saône Valley was pulled down and away from the Côte d’Or 35 million years ago by a large fault that runs near the highway RN74. It stretches from Dijon in the north to the river Dheune in the south. Planting vines on these east-facing slopes provides the grapes with the most beneficial exposure to the sun. In fact, the vineyards designated as premier and grand cru are almost always planted in this ideal environment, at altitudes situated between 800 to 1000 ft.
Côte d'Or includes two important and famous areas which are Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune. Côte de Nuits is better-known for its Pinot Noir red wines. It is an intricate patchwork of sometimes miniature vineyards. The best wines can be gorgeously concentrated, able to age gracefully in bottle. Style can vary from one village to another. The wines of Chambolle-Musigny are usually described as elegant and refined. Nuits St Georges and Gevrey Chambertin wines are round and robust. There is a lot to explore through the different villages, vineyards, soils and elevations.
Beaune / Aloxe Corton / Nuits-Saint-Georges / Vosne Romanée / Vougeot / Chambolle Musigny / Morey St Denis / Gevrey Chambertin
This tour includes:
