Burgundy Town Guide

Burgundy Town Guide

Aloxe-Corton

Aloxe-Corton is a quaint little town with some prominent multi-colored roofs that sits at the bottom of the horseshoe-shaped Corton Grand Cru slopes. At the curve of the Southern tip of this famous horseshoe are the Grand Cru whites, including the Charlemagne vineyard – so named because Charlemagne apparently preferred this white wine since it didn’t stain his flowing white beard like red wine did.

Beaune

Beaune is a lovely medieval walled city, which is the wine capital of Burgundy. It has a lively night life, appealing boutiques, and incredible restaurants. In Burgundy, all roads lead to Beaune (pronounced like “bone” in English).

Bourgogne

Actually, Bourgogne is not a town. It is the real name of Burgundy. In other words, our English translation of the French word, Bourgogne, is “Burgundy”. Of course, it is the name of the region where these famous wines are grown. But it is also the name of the regional classification of wines made in Burgundy.

Chablis

The northernmost section of Burgundy is Chablis. No, Chablis is not a grape variety; it is a town where the Chardonnay grape produces quality wines with steely and mineral characteristics.

Chambolle-Musigny

This tiny town located higher up on the slope between Morey-Saint Denis and Vougeot is known for its powerful, yet elegant wines. Its Grand Cru Musigny is legendary. But the town also boasts some Premier Cru wines that are as good or even better than some Grand Cru wines from other towns.

Champagne

Of course, Champagne is the northern neighbor to Burgundy. It is a region just like Burgundy is a region. It is obviously not a town in Burgundy. We did, however, want you to be able to search for the fine Champagnes from Charles Gardet under the town sorting guide; so we also list Champagne here.

Chassagne-Montrachet

Chassagne-Montrachet is not only famous for its wines, but also for its rock quarry. For most, it is undoubtedly one of the world’s most famous white wine towns. But there is a significant amount of quality red wines made in Chassagne-Montrachet, too.

Flagey-Echezeaux

Flagey-Echezeaux is an anomaly in Burgundy. The town is entirely on the east side of the National Route 74 in the plains, but the famous vineyards are appropriately situated on the west side of the RN74.

Gevrey-Chambertin

Gevrey-Chambertin is one of the world’s most famous red-wine towns. It didn’t hurt that the Chambertin wine was Napoleon’s favorite wine. It is often called the “King of red wines”.

Ladoix

Ladoix is the most northerly town in the Cote de Beaune. It is squeezed between Aloxe-Corton and the southern border of the Cote de Nuits. Most of its wines are not labeled “Ladoix”; they are labeled as “Cote de Beaune Villages”. And most are unremarkable, but can present some good values.

Macon

Macon is actually a larger city in Burgundy. Of course, it is also the name of the most Southern region of Burgundy in which the city of Macon is located. The Macon Villages wines are not actually made in the city of Macon.

Meursault

Meursault is just south of Volnay and Monthelie. It starts what is probably the most famous run of white-wine vineyards in the world – Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet, and Chassagne-Montrachet.

Morey-Saint Denis

Morey-Saint Denis is just south of Gevrey-Chambertin and often lives in its shadow. Yet, the wines are often among the favorites of people. There are 5 red Grand Cru vineyards in Morey-Saint Denis.

Nuits-Saint Georges

Geographically, Nuits-Saint-Georges is in the heart of the Cote de Nuits, as the name would imply. In reality, it marks the southern end of the famous Premier Cru and Grand Cru vineyards in the Cote de Nuits – although there are no Grand Cru vineyards in NSG itself.

Pommard

Pommard is the first town south of Beaune. It is a tiny town of only 600 people. Yet, it has a huge reputation in the world for producing some of the world’s best red wines.

Pouilly-Fuisse

The town of Pouilly and the town of Fuisse are located next to each other to the west of the city of Macon. Wines made in these two towns are simply labeled, Pouilly-Fuisse. They are probably the most famous wines from the entire Macon region.

Puligny-Montrachet

Puligny-Montrachet is the middle jewel of the three great white wine towns in the Cote de Beaune. It is just south of Meursault and just north of Chassagne-Montrachet. Along with Chassagne, Puligny is simply known for producing the world’s best Chardonnays.

Rully

Rully is the quaint town with a prominent and beautiful medieval chateau. It is just south of the Cote de Beaune. That same famous slope from the Cote de Beaune continues into this town, which is why you can find some high quality wines at very reasonable here.

Saint Aubin

Saint Aubin has traditionally taken a back seat to its famous neighbors of Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet. That’s a good thing for Americans who know Burgundy wines. The quality of Saint Aubin wines approach that of its famous neighbors, but at much less cost.

Santenay

Santenay is the most southerly of the notable towns in the Cote de Beaune. Outside of wine circles, it is famous for its salt-water spa and its casino. But in the wine world, Santenay is known for its red wines.

Tokaj, Hungary

Of course, Tokaj is not a Burgundy town. It is a town in Hungary. But we did want you to be able to search for the great dessert wines from Chateau Pajzos under the town sorting guide; so we also list Tokaj here. These delicious wines are the only wines in our portfolio that are not produced in France.

Volnay

Volnay is just to the south of Pommard. It is a tiny town that sits up on the slope. Volnay’s elegant wines can often be overshadowed by the heartier wines from Pommard. Yet, people who enjoy delicate, pleasant, and seductive wines will often gravitate toward Volnay.

Vosne-Romanee

Vosne-Romanee has the most expensive red-wine dirt in the world and makes the best Pinot Noir in the world. These are noble wines that are rich and sensual. The famous Romanee Conti and its well-known neighboring vineyards are all in this small town.

Vougeot

Vougeot is tiny, even by Burgundian standards. It is most famous for the Chateau du Clos de Vougeot and its expansive, walled vineyard. In fact, the town is not much bigger than this vineyard. The chateau has been a mecca for wine production for about 900 years when the Cistercian monks built the original structure and continued the tradition of making wine in this area.


About Us

More than just wine, we focus on the special people in Burgundy with their wonderful culture and traditions. It's because of Steve's relationships that some of the best wines in the world are available to Americans. And it makes us different than other importers and distributors.
Continue reading...

Burgundy 101

Our Burgundy 101 guide has been called the best, short primer on Burgundy. The guide also details the regions, towns, and winemakers of Burgundy, complete with maps.


Plus, there is a Blog of interesting topics related to wine in general, and Burgundy wine in particular.

Contact Us

P. Comms Int'l.
PO Box 5511
Asheville, NC 28813
828-274-9323
Email Us