TERROIR PROFILE
Bourgogne · Côte de Beaune
World-class Chardonnay on clay-limestone
Côte de Beaune — Le Montrachet, Meursault, Corton-Charlemagne — the benchmark for Chardonnay worldwide.
Climate, site & wine
Marly limestones and clay-rich calcareous soils with a high share of active lime shape the whites. Chardonnay ranges from creamy-nutty in Meursault to taut and mineral in Puligny-Montrachet; in Corton-Charlemagne it becomes powerful and age-worthy.
Pinot Noir is firm in Pommard and fine in Volnay. Typical are wines with substance and length. Broader slopes and side valleys create more variation in exposure than in the Côte de Nuits.
TERROIR PROFILE · Burgundy
Bourgogne · Côte de Beaune World-class Chardonnay on clay-limestone
Côte de Beaune — Le Montrachet, Meursault, Corton-Charlemagne — the benchmark for Chardonnay worldwide.
SOILS
Limestoneprecise, mineral
Limestone delivers tension, structure and a cooler, more mineral character.
Marlbalanced, structured
Marl is a mix of limestone and clay — yields structured, balanced wines with acidity backbone.
Loambody-rich, velvety
Loamy soils give wines volume and a soft, velvety mouthfeel.
CLIMATE · Cool continental
Semi-continental, somewhat warmer and more open than in the Côte de Nuits. Hail and spring frost remain risks, particularly for early-budding Chardonnay.
TOPOGRAPHY · moderate
Broader, gently undulating slopes from Ladoix-Serrigny to Maranges, facing east to southeast and, in side valleys, also south. Altitude on the slope and position in the combes separate Premiers Crus from village sites.
WHAT IT MEANS IN THE GLASS
Similar terroirs worldwide
Computed from fingerprint similarity
Bourgogne · Côte de Nuits
Burgundy
96% similar
- Body (slightly): Bourgogne · Côte de Beaune gives more body → fuller, more powerful wines (7 vs. 6).
Steigerwald (Iphofen–Castell)
Franconia
96% similar
- Dryness (slightly): Bourgogne · Côte de Beaune is wetter → juicier, softer, more plushness (5 vs. 6).
Wineries on this terroir
See all 57 →Domaine d'Auvenay
Saint-Romain
Renown 86/100
Domaine Leflaive
Puligny-Montrachet
Renown 83/100
Domaine des Comtes Lafon
Meursault
Renown 81/100
Domaine Jacques Prieur
Meursault
Renown 76/100
Hospices de Beaune
Beaune
Renown 76/100
Domaine Ramonet
Chassagne-Montrachet
Renown 73/100
Domaine Coche-Dury
Meursault
Renown 71/100
Albert Bichot
Beaune
Renown 70/100
This terroir's soils in the glossary