Corton
There is a break between the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune where many marble quarries are found, around Comblanchien and Corgoloin, and the Côte de Beaune begins in Ladoix-Serrigny, on the eastern slopes of the Corton hill.
The hill of Corton is the largest collection of Grands Crus in Burgundy, with both red and white Grands Crus. These may appear simply as Corton and Corton-Charlemagne or they may have the name of a particular climat attached.
The Grand Cru climat of Rognet-et-Corton is located in Ladoix. Swinging around to the southwest leads to Aloxe-Corton, where the majority of the Corton climats are found, including Renardes, Clos-du-Roi, Bressandes and part of Corton Charlemagne. Continuing to follow the hill around to the west, one finds the rest of Corton Charlemagne in the commune of Pernand-Vergelesses. Chardonnay is grown on the northern and western slopes of the Corton hill, while Pinot is grown on the lower slopes and on the east- and south-facing slopes.
Savigny-les-Beaune and ChoreyThe Premier Crus of Pernand face the Corton hill, and continue into those of the commune of Savigny-les-Beaune. Across from Savigny on the wrong side of the road lies Chorey-les-Beaune, which has no Premiers Crus.
Beaune
The Premier Cru vineyards continue after the small stream that runs behind Savigny, and run along to the west of the town of Beaune. Beaune has more Premier Cru land by far than any other commune, and the best-known run in a line essentially just west of town, including Clos du Roi, Cent Vignes, Toussaints, Greves and Teurons.
The wines of the commune of Beaune are mostly Pinot, but not quite 6% of the production is white, from Chardonnay sometimes mixed with Pinot Blanc.
Pommard
The Premiers Crus of Beaune continue into those of Pommard to the south. The commune is divided in two by the stream called the Dheune. The well-known Epenots and Pezerolles are to the north, while Les Combes and Les Rugiens are to the south. Those vineyards to the south tend to produce a fuller-bodied wine.
VolnayThe next village south of Pommard is Volnay, whose wines have a reputation for delicacy as opposed to the reputation of those of Pommard, which are thought of as generally more full-bodied and tannic. This is generally true because the soils of Volnay are lighter than those of Pommard.
Auxey, St. Romain and Monthelie
There are some very good value wines produced in Monthelie, both village level and in the Premier Crus located just north and south of the town. In Auxey there are several expositions, but only a few Premier Cru parcels, under the Montagne du Bourdon. The vineyards of St.-Romain are high in elevation, and many face south or west. Because of this the climate is much cooler. Soils have more clay and less limestone, and the region, overall, is better suited for white wine production for this reason.
MeursaultSouth of Volnay comes the town of Meursault and one of the largest appellations of the Côte d'Or. Both red and white wine are produced in Meursault, but today the white wine is more popular and expensive. Some 1er Cru parcels are an extension of the Volnay vineyard; some Meursault from Santenots can be sold as Volnay.
The rest of the Premiers Crus are south of the village in one long strip. Perrières is considered among the best quality and parts of Charmes and Génevrières are considered as good, with Gouttes d'Or, Bouchères and Porusots also quite well regarded.
This strip of Premier Cru parcels begins with Gouttes d'Or, and moving south includes Bouchères above Porusot, Génevrières, Perrières, and Charmes. These are situated at 200–260 meters elevation, with those at the southern end of the appellation extending further up and down the slope. The soils are thin and stony in the part near Volnay, but more marly south of the village.
Some of the best parcels like Perrières are sheltered from the west by the woods called the Bois de Blagny, although the part of Perrières further down the slope (Perrières Dessous ["Lower Perrières"]) is considered better, while Charmes-Dessus ["Upper Charmes"], Génevrières-Dessus and Porusot Dessus are at roughly the same latitude. Chames-Dessous is on a low altitude area with rich soil. Many commentators do not agree that this parcel should be rated 1er Cru.
Blagny is up the hill at the southern end of Meursault and all the wines sold as Blagny are red. If white wine is produced, it is sold as Meursault Blagny Premier Cru. These climats classed in Premier Cru include La Pièce sous le Bois and Sous le Dos d'Ane, among others.
Deuxieme crus
In addition to these Premiers Crus, there is also in Meursault a band of village-level vineyards that have the right to use a lieu-dit, or a given name for their parcel, but are not classed as Premier Cru. This band lies up the slope from the Premiers Crus running from Gouttes d'Or to Génevrières. These have been referred to as second growths or deuxième crus. Although this does not have a legal standing in AC law, it has been mentioned as long ago as the mid-19th century in the work of Dr. Lavalle, and it is given credence by many other authors, including Clive Coates in his work the “Côte d'Or,” and the present author. The soil here is similar in structure and composition. The main difference is the altitude and because of the cooler climate the wines tend to be crisp and a bit austere, but they are definitely stylish and high quality. This strip of deuxième crus begins with Les Vireuils in the north, followed to the south by Les Clous, Les Tillets and Les Narvaux, among others.
Puligny-MontrachetSouth of Meursault lies Puligny-Montrachet. Premier cru vineyards continue south from Charmes-Dessus. The best-known of the 1er Crus lie upslope from the village, and include Clavaillon and Folatieres. Cailleret, Pucelles are next to Montrachet and Batard respectively. This band of Premiers Crus begins at 240 meters elevation; Grand Cru Le Montrachet is at 260 meters. There is also a group of Premiers Crus that lie up the slope from Folatières that are generally considered less interesting.
Le Montrachet
The Grand Cru vineyard faces due east and is protected from westerly winds by the hill of Mont-Rachet above Chevalier. The soil is marl over hard limestone, with a high proportion of pebbles. Many explanations for the quality of these Grands Crus exist, but the most sensible explanation is that it is exposition, elevation and field capacity, or soil depth and drainage, which account for the superiority. Within the Grands Crus, Chevalier has the thinnest soils, giving somewhat austere wines, and Batard and Bienvenues-Batard have somewhat less elegance because the soil is deeper with fewer pebbles. Criots-Batard is a small appellation with a reputation for delicacy.
In Le Montrachet, Bouchard, Marquis de Laguiche (vinified by Drouhin) and Ramonet are on the Puligny side, and Lafon, Prieur, DRC and others are on the Chassagne side.
Chassagne-MontrachetChassagne, like Meursault, produces more red wine than is commonly thought, and was once known mostly for Pinot. Today it is the Chardonnay that is most highly prized. There are more than 50 Premiers Crus in Chassagne and the quality level is not homogeneous throughout.
The best area for Premier Cru white Chassagne is below the village, just above the road, including climats such as Champs Gain, Maltroie, Baudines and Caillerets. Many of the other 1er Cru climats are on the south end of town, near the Abbaye de Morgeot, and have the right to sell their wine as Morgeots, a fairly large area.
St.-Aubin and SantenayThe N6 road cuts through Chassagne just south of Le Montrachet, leading back to the towns of St.-Aubin and Gamay, which both sell their wine as St.-Aubin. These vineyards often provide good values but seldom the excitement of their more famous neighbors.
The same can be said of Santenay. This area produces a fair amount of wine. The wines can be a bit rustic but well-balanced with good fruit and structure. South of Santenay is Maranges, producing mostly red wine in heavier soils with a southern exposure. Côte Chalonnaise is located west of Chalon-sur-Saône. The climate is slightly drier than the Cote d'Or, but the aspects are not as uniformly east-facing. The soil is essentially composed of clay over limestone with some iron. The vineyards around Mercurey have more marl.
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It is easiest to think of the Côte de Nuits as one long, unbroken slope facing essentially due east that stretches from Marsannay in the north to Premeaux-Prissey in the south. In truth, Marsannay forms part of an area referred to as the Côte Dijonnaise, essentially suburbs of the city of Dijon. Marsannay is followed to the south by Fixin and both have essentially eastern exposure and hard limestone.
South of Chambolle is Vougeot. The Clos de Vougeot is the largest grand cru of the Côte-de-Nuits, at over 50 hectares, or around 125 acres. This is one walled vineyard, but the quality is not homogeneous throughout. Most consider the part with the highest elevation to be the best quality.