Burgundy Wine Region

The Climats, Terroirs Of Burgundy, UNESCO World Heritage Site Inscribed 2015: The CôTe De Nuits And CôTe De Beaune Vineyards Between Dijon And Beaune · Beaune, Burgundy-Franche-Comte

The Côte d'Or is the narrow ridge of vineyards that runs south from Dijon past Beaune to Santenay, and it is where most of Burgundy's famous red and white wines are made. It is not a landscape of grand châteaux: the vines are split into hundreds of small named plots, the climats that UNESCO listed in 2015, and a single field can be shared by a dozen families. The Route des Grands Crus threads through stone villages whose names are on wine lists worldwide, Gevrey-Chambertin, Vougeot, Vosne-Romanée, Pommard, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet. Beaune is the base, a walled market town built around the Hospices, a medieval charity hospital with a glazed tile roof that still sells its wine at a charity auction each November. Dijon, the old capital of the dukes of Burgundy, is twenty minutes north. Many of the best domaines are small family estates that receive visitors only by appointment or not at all, so first-time visitors usually taste in the cellars of Beaune, cycle the vineyard path and eat very well.

Beaune and the Route des Grands Crus between Dijon and Santenay, Côte-d'Or, Beaune, Burgundy-Franche-Comte, France

The vineyards, villages and the Route des Grands Crus are open to drive, walk and cycle at all times, but the vines are private property and working land, so stay on roads and tracks. The Hospices de Beaune is open every day of the year for visits, with a midday closure in some seasons and shorter hours in winter; confirm before arriving late in the day. The Château du Clos de Vougeot is open most days for visits but closes for private events and for gatherings of the wine brotherhood, so check the calendar. Tasting cellars in Beaune and the larger négociant houses usually open daily in season with fixed visit slots, often closing for lunch and on some Sundays in winter. Small family domaines are a different matter: most receive visitors only by appointment, many never take walk-ins, and almost none receive visitors during the harvest, roughly September, when everyone is picking. Dijon's museums commonly close one day a week, often Tuesday. The Hospices wine auction weekend in November fills every hotel in the area months ahead, and restaurants in the villages often close one or two days a week and for part of winter.

Burgundy Wine Region on Spottos · Explore more places on Spottos