Bourgogne · Hautes-Côtes de Nuits

The Hautes-Côtes de Nuits are the hill country west of the Côte de Nuits, on the heights behind Nuits-Saint-Georges and Vosne-Romanée. The vines stand at roughly 300 to 400 metres in side valleys and on plateaus; the wine villages include Villars-Fontaine, Marey-lès-Fussey, Magny-lès-Villers, Arcenant and Curtil-Vergy. The landscape is more rural than on the Côte: vineyards alternate with meadows, woods and blackcurrant fields, from which the liqueur crème de cassis is made.

The soils derive from Jurassic limestone and marl and are shallower and stonier than the sites of the Côte. The climate is cooler and ripening later: harvest usually begins later than on the Côte, and the wines benefit from years with warm summers, while late frosts are a risk.

Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are the main varieties, with Aligoté also grown. The reds are slender and fruit-driven, the whites fresh and mineral. They are sold under the Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits appellation and are regarded as a more affordable alternative to the famous villages of the Côte.