Cote de Beaune Wine

The Cote de Beaune is a key wine-producing sub-region of Burgundy in eastern France. The name is also used for the local appellation Cote de Beaune, which covers entry-level wines, generally from the hilltop sites on the western side of the Cote d'Or escarpment. The title means 'Hillside of Beaune' – Beaune being a large market town and the epicenter of the Cote d'Or wine trade.

Famed for producing some of the world's most expensive white wines (such as the best of Puligny-Montrachet), the Cote de Beaune is also responsible for some of Burgundy's famous red wines (e.g. those from the Montagne de Corton). The grapes used are Chardonnay for the whites and Pinot Noir for the reds. Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris are permitted under most Cote de Beaune appellation laws, but are employed in very limited quantities.

The vineyards of the Cote de Beaune are planted along a narrow strip of land less than three miles (5km) wide, with the most favored sites being on the limestone slopes that form the backbone of the region. The mineral-rich soils and sunny exposure here make for excellent terroir, considered by many to be the best in the world for high-quality Chardonnay. Technically, the Cote de Beaune is the southern half of the Cote d'Or – a limestone escarpment that runs north–south for 45km (27 miles) from Dijon to Santenay. The relationship between terroir and wine is considered of paramount importance in the Cote de Beaune and is rarely better exemplified.

A neat line of wine-producing villages follows the path of the Cote d'Or escarpment, from Pernand-Vergelesses and Ladoix-Serrigny in the north to Santenay in the south. A number of these (including Beaune itself) have their own appellations, and a select few have such excellent terroir that certain vineyards have been granted Premier Cru and Grand Cru status.

The climate of the Cote de Beaune is of continental type, with slightly higher temperatures and rainfall than in the Cote de Nuits. Springtime frosts are a danger and can do extensive damage to the vines during the delicate stages of budding and flowering. Various techniques are employed to counter this threat, from wood-burning braziers between the vines to the use of helicopters to generate frost-preventing air currents. Hail can also seriously damage vine crops, but in this case there are very few solutions.

The less quality-driven Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Beaune appellation covers red, white and rose wines from all over the Cote de Beaune that may come from 30 different villages. However, the value of the land that is also covered by more-prestigious appellations means that Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Beaune wines are generally made from grapes grown on less-desirable sites, on the western side of the Cote d'Or.