Côte de Beaune White Wines
White wines from the Côte de Beaune: Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, Chassagne-Montrachet, Saint-Aubin, Corton-Charlemagne and the Montrachet grands crus.
What defines white Côte de Beaune
The Côte de Beaune is the heart of white Burgundy. Limestone and marl, east-facing slopes and a long tradition of barrel fermentation give whites with depth, texture and the acidity to age. Each village has its own register, and the differences are as much a reason to buy as the hierarchy.
The white villages
Corton-Charlemagne, on the Corton hill shared by Aloxe-Corton, Ladoix and Pernand-Vergelesses, gives a firm, mineral grand cru. Meursault is richer and more textured, with premiers crus such as Charmes, Genevrières and Perrières. Puligny-Montrachet is finer and more floral, and shares with Chassagne-Montrachet the grands crus Montrachet, Bâtard-Montrachet, Chevalier-Montrachet and Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet. Chassagne is broader, with Morgeot, La Maltroie and Les Caillerets among its premiers crus. Saint-Aubin, in the hills behind, gives taut, chalky whites; Saint-Romain and Auxey-Duresses, higher and cooler, give fresh whites at gentler prices; Santenay's whites are rounder.
How long to keep
Our cellar notes give 3 to 10 years for village whites, 5 to 18 years for premiers crus and 10 to 25 years for grands crus. Serve between 12 and 14 °C. These wines suit fish in sauce, lobster, poultry in cream and hard cheeses such as Comté.
The growers we hold
In Meursault: Ballot-Millot, Pierre Morey, Dominique Lafon, Fabien Coche and Pernot-Belicard. In Puligny: Pernot-Belicard, François Carillon and Sylvain Langoureau. In Chassagne: Bachelet-Ramonet, Marc Morey, Fontaine-Gagnard, Alex Moreau and the Colin family, Bruno, Philippe, Simon, Marc and Joseph. In Saint-Romain and Auxey: Alain Gras. More than forty domaines in all.