Côte de Beaune
Overview
The Côte de Beaune runs from Aloxe-Corton south to Santenay. It is Burgundy’s white wine heartland — Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, and Chassagne-Montrachet produce the world’s greatest dry Chardonnays — while also making excellent Pinot Noirs in Volnay, Pommard, and Beaune. The grand cru whites (Montrachet, Chevalier-Montrachet, Bâtard-Montrachet, Corton-Charlemagne) are the pinnacle of white Burgundy.
Key Villages
- Savigny-lès-Beaune — fresh, elegant reds; accessible prices
- Beaune — large appellation; Maison Joseph Drouhin based here
- Volnay — finest reds of Côte de Beaune; silky, feminine
- Auxey-Duresses — underrated; both red and white
- Puligny-Montrachet — Grand Cru Chardonnay heartland
- Chassagne-Montrachet — both great whites and underrated reds
- Meursault — rich, buttery whites; no grand cru but great premiers crus
- Corton — the only red grand cru of the Côte de Beaune; Corton-Charlemagne for whites
Style Notes
Côte de Beaune reds are typically lighter and more perfumed than Côte de Nuits, with red fruit (cherry, strawberry) and floral notes dominant. Whites range from the mineral austerity of Chablis-influenced Chassagne to the rich, honeyed style of Meursault, with Puligny-Montrachet in the middle: taut, precise, and mineral.
Vintage Notes
- 2024: Better yields than Côte de Nuits — Côte de Beaune was spared the worst of the cold snap at flowering. Jean-Michel Chartron in Puligny had roughly 3/4 of a normal crop. Whites are universally excellent, perhaps even superior to reds. Reds also excellent: terroir-transparent, high-acid, elegant.
Vinous Vintage Chart — Reds
Source: Vinous, retrieved 2026-04-12
| Vintage | Score | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | (87-90) | Hold |
| 2020 | 92 | Hold |
| 2019 | 93 | Hold |
| 2018 | 92 | Hold |
| 2017 | 92 | Hold |
| 2016 | (92-94) | Hold |
| 2015 | 93 | Hold |
| 2014 | 89 | Hold |
| 2013 | 90 | Hold |
| 2012 | 91 | Hold |
| 2011 | 89 | Hold |
| 2010 | 94 | Hold |
| 2009 | 93 | Drink or Hold |
| 2008 | 89 | Drink or Hold |
| 2007 | 87 | Drink or Hold |
Vinous Vintage Chart — Whites
Source: Vinous, retrieved 2026-04-12
| Vintage | Score | Status |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | (89-92) | Hold |
| 2020 | 92 | Hold |
| 2019 | 93 | Hold |
| 2018 | 92 | Hold |
| 2017 | 95 | Hold |
| 2016 | 90 | Hold |
| 2015 | 92 | Drink or Hold |
| 2014 | 96 | Hold |
| 2013 | 90 | Drink or Hold |
| 2012 | 94 | Hold |
| 2011 | 92 | Drink or Hold |
| 2010 | 96 | Hold |
| 2009 | 93 | Drink or Hold |
| 2008 | 94 | Drink or Hold |
| 2007 | 90 | Drink |
My Tastings
Sources
sources/articles/VFTC/VFTC Jan-Feb 2026 #121.pdfsources/articles/Vinous/vinous_vintage_reports.json