Your Wine IQ

Beaune


Wine By Region Right Europe Right France Right Burgundy Right Côte de Beaune Right Beaune


Beaune wine is produced in the commune of Beaune. The commune, at 12 square miles, is one of the largest in the Côte d'Or, and as a result over 1,000 acres of vineyards exist in Beaune. This is a massive amount by Burgundian standards, and in fact, Beaune is the most expansive AOC in the Côte d'Or. It is not to be confused with the other Beaune appellations, such as Hautes-Côtes de Beaune or Côte de Beaune-Villages, which refer to the entire Beaune slope.

A major tourist attraction, Beaune is well known for its beautiful landscape and rustic architecture. And a number of these buildings house large wine négociants, with Drouhin being a prime example, and as a result Beaune has acquired a reputation as one of the important physical areas for wine, if not one of the best areas for wine growing. On the north end of the slope its equivalent is Nuits-St-Georges.

With a whopping 42 Premiers Crus, Beaune is no less important for the wine it actually grows. There are no Grands Crus, but several of the Premiers Crus are very famous. Keep in mind, however, that almost 4/5 of the AOC wine from here is designated as Premier Cru, devaluing the name. As a result is necessary to pick out one of the more outstanding of the Premiers Crus. Most of the wine produced is red Pinot Noir, but there are a few famous examples of luscious white wine from Chardonnay.

History

The commune of Beaune itself enjoys an extraordinarily long history. In the 1440s the Chancellor to the Duchy of Bourgogne founded the philanthropic Hospices de Beaune there. Now, the organization is best known for their charitable annual wine auction.

As an appellation for wine, Beaune has existed since AOC has—it belonged to a batch of the first AOCs in 1936. Since then, a number of its Premiers Crus—notably Clos des Mouches—have risen to a cult status. The large production makes Beaune wine easy to find, and the versatile, diverse wines can often be well-priced. As a result, Beaune is now one of the most important wine AOCs in the Côte de Beaune.

Climate and Viticulture

There is so much diversity among the Beaune vineyards that it is hard even here to summarize Beaune's climate and viticulture. Even in the Premiers Crus vineyards, some of the more Pommard-like territory produces excellent red wine. At the same time, there are less concentrated areas with poor viticulture conditions.

Many of the best vineyards are marked by "Clos", meaning they are literally closed in. This makes them less susceptible to wind conditions and often makes for reliable, excellent wine. Clos de Mouches is a prime example.

Grape Varieties

Major Producers

Unlike other villages in the Côte de Beaune, Beaune itself does not have négociants that sell reliable, inexpensive, but non-outstanding wines. In fact, the négociants sometimes concentrate their best efforts in Beaune, which their operations are often based in. As a result, the négociants are typically the leaders here, although some exceptions exist in the list of a dozen leaders below. The wine made by these producers is discussed under subregions below.

Subregions

While there are no Grands Crus in Beaune, this omission is more than made up for by a knockout 42 Premiers Crus. In fact, nearly 4/5 of the vineyards of Beaune are designated as Premiers Crus, leading to a severe lack of quality control that doesn't jibe with some of the better Côte de Beaune appellations. As a result, it is necessary to simply pick out the best of the Premiers Crus by hand. Those that stand out are given special mention in the list below.