Written on 08/09/2020
The Champs-Élysées of Burgundy
It all starts with the Saône. This river flows for just under five hundred kilometers between Lorraine and Lyon, where it merges with the Rhône. Some 34 million years ago, its valley collapsed in midstream. This geological incident, among others, provided the ingredients for the creation of some of the world's finest wines, just a few kilometers downstream from Dijon. The aptly named Golden Side was born. Since then, man has been cultivating vines of superior quality, blessed by the gods. The Côte d'Or is divided into two other côtes: Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune. Let's take a look at the former here, while the latter has nothing to lose by waiting...
The Côte de Nuits owes its name to a local town: Nuits-Saint-Georges. The majority of its wines are red, Pinot Noir to be precise. Wines with ruby/purple hues, body and aromas are prized at auctions the world over. Au Sud also produces crisp, golden white wines from Chardonnay, which have nothing to be ashamed of.
It's from this tiny region (only 20 kilometers long and 800 to 200 meters wide!) that the finest Burgundy wines are produced. Names that make your tongue curl when another enthusiast tells you about them ... "Charmes Chambertin ", "Clos de Vougein". .. Charmes Chambertin", "Clos de Vougeot", "Romanée-Conti", "Bonnes Mares", "Clos de la Roche"...
This concentration of grands crus has earned the Côté de Nuits the somewhat pompous nickname of "Burgundy's Champs-Élysées". But let's be serious, between a bottle of Chambertin under the oak of a well-kept estate and a lukewarm Coca-Cola at 15 euros on the Parisian avenue, isn't the choice quickly made?
