The Côte d'Or (usually translated as "Golden Slope," but more likely a truncated version of Côte d'Orient, or "east[-facing] slope") runs roughly from Dijon south to just past Beaune and is marked by alluvial deposits of limestone and marl. It is further bifurcated into northern and southern sectors, the Côte de Nuits the Côte de Beaune, respectively.

The Côte de Nuits produces red wine almost exclusively, while production in the Côte de Beaune is split relatively evenly between red and white.   More

The Côte d'Or (usually translated as "Golden Slope," but more likely a truncated version of Côte d'Orient, or "east[-facing] slope") runs roughly from Dijon south to just past Beaune and is marked by alluvial deposits of limestone and marl. It is further bifurcated into northern and southern sectors, the Côte de Nuits the Côte de Beaune, respectively.

The Côte de Nuits produces red wine almost exclusively, while production in the Côte de Beaune is split relatively evenly between red and white. The entire Côte d'Or is situated close to the limit of viability for winegrowing. At about the same latitude as Seattle or Victoria, B.C.   December, January, and February can be bitterly cold and frost is always a risk, although things can really heat up in July and August. Rainfall at harvest is always a threat, with timing, intensity, and duration spelling the difference between catastrophe and success.

It would be intellectually dishonest to fail to acknowledge that there are competing schools of thought as to what constitutes "great" red Burgundy. To oversimplify, there is the "hedonic" school and the "terroiriste" or "traditional" approach. In the interests of full disclosure, while the realities of the marketplace require that we traffic to some degree in the former, our own esthetic preferences run strongly toward the latter.   Less