Côte de Beaune |
It is wetter and warmer in the Côte de Beaune than it is in the Côte de Nuit. Henri Jayer says that this is a result of a greater marine influence on Côte de Beaune. The relative warmth aids ripening and allows picking of the Côte de Beaune vineyards two days prior to the initiation of Côte de Nuit harvest. That being said, the major climatic influences associated with the greater Côte d'Or are relevant to the Côte de Beaune.
According to legendary Burgundy winemaker Henri Jayer (A Tribute to the Great Wines of Burgundy), the soils from Ladoix to Meursault are from the Late Jurassic, with Oxfordian and Callovian series' predominant (This would actually qualify as Middle-Late as the Callovian actually falls in the Mid-Jurassic period.). The mostly red marl, consisting, according to Jayer, of half-chalk and half-clay, is Pinot-Noir-friendly, producing supple and fruity red wines which are less structured and tannic than Côte de Nuit reds. These wines mature earlier than do the Nuit reds but, in the best years, will age well.
From Meursault to the middle of Chassagne-Montrachet, the middle Jurassic becomes evident . The sediments here were not completely transformed to limestone and were deposited in the area as white marl. Chardonnay thrives on this soil. Hence the Grand Crus of Chassagne- and Puligny-Montrachet. From the middle of Chassagne, the soil again becomes Mid-Late Jurassic, making way for light, supple Pinot Noir wines.
The Hill of Corton heralds the beginning of the Côte de Beaune wine region and, one would think, a sea of white wine.
The top of the hill is covered by dense woodland which gives way to cap rock of Rauracian limestone. Vineyard-capable limestone soils begin at about 345 meters and slope gently to the valley floor through "terroirs of distinction." The upper slopes are rich in marl and Chardonnay flourishes on the western side of the hill while Pinot Noir grows on the western side beginning at 330 meters elevation where Late Jurassic soils kick in. Two great Grand Cru vineyards share the hill: Corton (mostly red) and Corton-Charlemagne (white).
Source: burgundyonline.com |
While 4.5% of the Corton Grand Cru vineyard is devoted to Chardonnay vines, 6.19% of the Grand Cru production is white wine. There are 26 Lieux-dits in the appellation and the red wines are authorized to name the Lieux-dit on the bottle following the appellation name. White wines are not so allowed.
- Le Montrachet -- shared between the two communes
- Bâtard-Montrachet -- shared between the two communes
- Chevalier-Montrachet -- Puligny-Montrachet
- Bienvènues-Bâtard-Montrachet -- Puligny-Montrachet
- Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet -- Chassagne-Montrachet.
In addition to the Grand Crus, the two communes support Village and Premier Cru appellations. Puligny-Montrachet hosts 17 Premier Cru vineyards while Chassagne-Montrachet hosts 55. Noted Premier Cru vineyards in Puligny-Montrachet include: Les Demoiselles, Le Cailleret, Les Pucelles, Les Combettes, and Les Folaitières. Notable PC vineyards in Chassagne-Montrachet are : Caillerets, Ruchottes, Chaumées, and La Boudriotte.
The distribution of vineyard size and production by appellation is shown in the table below.
Village |
Village and Premier Cru
|
Grand Cru
|
|||||||
Production (hl) | Production (hl) | Production (hl) | |||||||
Appellation | Size (ha) | Red | White | Size (ha) | Red | White | Size (ha) | Red | White |
Aloxe-Corton |
118.87
|
4361
|
88
|
||||||
Auxey-Duresses |
132.87
|
3319
|
1787
|
||||||
Bâtard-Montrachet |
11.73
|
486
|
|||||||
Beaune |
416.23
|
12,146
|
2195
|
||||||
Bienvènues-Bâtard-Montrachet |
3.58
|
165
|
|||||||
Blagny |
4.31
|
142
|
|||||||
Chassagne-Montrachet |
307.52
|
3906
|
9346
|
||||||
Chevalier-Montrachet |
7.47
|
287
|
|||||||
Chorey-lès-Beaune |
126.28
|
4712
|
425
|
||||||
Corton |
97.53
|
2789
|
151
|
||||||
Corton-Charlemagne |
52.08
|
1929
|
|||||||
Côte-de Beaune |
31.76
|
680
|
269
|
||||||
Côte-de Beaune Village |
4.66
|
176
|
|||||||
Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet |
1.57
|
67
|
|||||||
Ladoix |
98.13
|
2478
|
952
|
||||||
Maranges |
160.84
|
5390
|
357
|
||||||
Meursault |
399.87
|
458
|
16,563
|
||||||
Montrachet |
8
|
271
|
|||||||
Pernand-Vergelesses |
138.45
|
2644
|
2373
|
||||||
Pommard |
325.65
|
12,014
|
|||||||
Puligny-Montrachet |
205.72
|
26
|
10,066
|
||||||
Saint-Aubin |
154.01
|
1493
|
5054
|
||||||
Saint-Romain |
92.26
|
1409
|
2259
|
||||||
Santenay |
321.87
|
8742
|
2101
|
||||||
Savigny-les-Beaune |
354.73
|
11,413
|
1620
|
||||||
Volnay |
220.39
|
7587
|
|||||||
Totals |
3399.2
|
6977
|
2953
|
3359.46
|
75977
|
52644
|
181.96
|
2789
|
3356
|
To summarize then, in a total vineyard area of 6940.62 ha, Côte de Beaune vignerons produce 85,743 hectoliters of red wine and 58,593 hectoliters of white wine, with a counter-intuitive, almost-60% of the production being red.
©Wine -- Mise en abyme
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