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Appellation
The Burgundy wine article explains the local classifications in more detail. Above the basic AOC Bourgogne lies Côte de Nuits Villages, a general appellation for wines from five of the smaller communes : Fixin and Brochon in the north, Comblanchien, Corgoloin and Prissey to the south. The Hautes-Côtes de Nuits are a separate appellation for the hills to the west of Nuits-St-Georges.
Individual 'village' appellations are the next step up, although not all match the commune boundaries or names. Notably in the north the Marsannay appellation covers Marsannay-la-Côte and parts of Couchey and Chênove.
The Premiers Crus are the next level and roughly correspond to individual vineyards that aren't good enough for Grand Cru status. Such is the obsession with terroir in Burgundy, and the nature of French inheritance laws, that the Grand Crus are some of the smallest appellations in France, less than a hectare in the case of La Romanée.
The Côte de Nuits covers fourteen communes. Six produce grand cru wines, in the central district between Gevrey-Chambertin and Nuits-Saint-Georges, with four lesser villages either side. From north to south the communes are :
Northern villages
Marsannay-la-Côte
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Fixin vineyards
Uniquely in Burgundy, Marsannay-la-Côte produces wine of all three colours - red and rosé from Pinot Noir, white from Chardonnay. The 214ha of the Marsannay appellation extends into Couchey and Chênove.
Couchey
The wines produced here contribute to the Marsannay appellation.
Fixin
Fixin has its own appellation, but the area of Brochon Côte de Nuits Villages extends into the commune. 22.35ha of premier cru vineyards out of 78ha of Pinot Noir and 1.2ha of Chardonnay.
Brochon
Brochon vineyards contribute to Côte de Nuits Villages.
Grand crus
These communes include some of the most famous vineyards (and most expensive wines) in the world.
Gevrey-Chambertin
Gevrey-Chambertin has more Grand Crus than any other village, with nine. Chambertin and its extension Chambertin-Clos de Beze are the epitomy of red Burgundy. The other Grand Crus are Mazis-Chambertin, Chapelle-Chambertin, Charmes-Chambertin, Mazoyeres-Chambertin, Griotte-Chambertin, Latricieres-Chambertin and Ruchottes-Chambertin.
Morey-Saint-Denis
A small commune with four Grand Crus: Clos de la Roche, Clos St. Denis, Clos des Lambrays and Clos de Tart.
Chambolle-Musigny
The soil in Chambolle is particularly chalky, giving the wines a lighter, finer edge that complements the usual Côte de Nuits backbone. A little white wine is made. Chambolle Premier Cru is usually a blend of some of the 19 individual vineyard Premier Crus, of which only Les Amoureuses and Les Charmes are commonly seen. The Grand Crus are Bonnes Mares (which spills over into Morey-Saint-Denis) and Musigny itself.
Vougeot
Vougeot is a strange one. It has just one Grand Cru vineyard - Clos Vougeot - that is massive by Burgundy standards, and produces three times as much wine as the rest of the commune. But the variation in terroir over its 50 hectares, and different winemaking by the 75 owners, mean that wines labelled with the vineyard name Clos Vougeot show as much variation as the wines from entire communes elsewhere. However all Clos Vougeot wines charge Grand Cru prices....
The Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin are based at the 12th century Château du Clos de Vougeot, one of the landmarks of Burgundy.
Flagey-Échezeaux
Flagey is best known for its Grand Crus of Grands Echézeaux and Echézeaux, its Premier Crus are sold under the star label of Vosne-Romanée.
Vosne-Romanée
Vosne contains some of the most famous names in the wine world, notably Romanée-Conti and La Tâche, two monopoles of the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. The other Grand Crus are Richebourg, La Romanée (the smallest AOC in France, at 0.84ha), Romanée-St. Vivant and La Grand Rue.
Southern villages
Nuits-Saint-Georges
The fame of Nuits wine comes from the fact that as the largest town in the region, wine from the better vineyards to the north was sold there. The local wines are most of 'Villages' quality, and need longer in the cellar than most Burgundies of similar quality.
Premeaux-Prissey
Wines from Premeaux-Prissey are sold under the Nuits-Saint-Georges appellation and as Côte de Nuits Villages.
Comblanchien
Comblanchien gives its name to the famous seam of limestone in the middle of the Côte d'Or. Its wine is sold as Côte de Nuits Villages.
Corgoloin
The southernmost village is also covered by the Côte de Nuits Villages appellation.
See also
Notes and references
Further reading
- Coates, Clive (1997) Côte D'Or: A Celebration of the Great Wines of Burgundy Weidenfeld Nicolson ISBN 0297836072
External links
- The place of the Côte de Nuits in the wine geography of Burgundy.
- A more detailed map. Navigate to details of the respective villages.
- www.netbourgogne.com
- The Burgundy Report Good descriptions of the vineyards and vintages.
- The Villages. Bouchard Père et Fils. Retrieved on 2007-05-03. Good reference for anyone wanting to fill in the hectares of Premier Cru and village vineyard for each appellation (hint!)
