Cote d'Or: The Quality Factor

The Cote lies on a geological fault line, with the seabed deposits rich in calcium from defunct shellfish. Exposure has weathered rocks into soils of different ages and textures, and the varying degrees of slope have mixed them in different proportions. The altitude is roughly constant at 250 metres, with the higher the climate is harsher, thus grapes ripen later.

Lower down the soils are more alluvial, with valley mists and unseasonal frosts more common and full ripeness also difficult to achieve. The Cote faces east, with its lower part having a narrow outcrop of marlstone, making the best soils combining the limestone higher up. In Cote de Beaune the marly outcrop is wider and higher on the hill, so the vines can almost reach the peak in places.

On Corton the soils formed from the marlstone is the best part of the vineyard, close to the top of the hill, but in Meursault the limestone reappears below the marl which results in good soils for white. The vast changes of soil come with different drainage and temperature in the soil, among a wide range of factors affecting the vine.

Burgundy is one of the most northernmost areas to produce great red wine. The mesoclimate plays a critical effect, with the best sites facing due east, to get full exposure to morning sun to warm the soil gradually and retaining heat all day. The sites are also sheltered from the southwest, the rain-bearing wind but not so much as to become frost pockets at night.

Another quality factor is the choice of vines, with most choosing the suitable clones and not the over-productive, also paying attention to revitalize the soil. Organic and biodynamic viticulture are increasingly popular. It is the region where the wine quality has been studied the longest, since the 12^th century by the Cistercian and Benedictine monks.

The Haut-Cotes is a broken plateau dividing Cote de Beaune and Cote de Nuits, rising to 400 metres, with lower temperature. The best communes in Hautes-Cotes de Beaune include Nantoux, Echevronne, La Rochepot and Meloisey, while in Hautes-Cotes de Nuits it is Marey-les-Fussey, Magny-les-Villers, Villars-Fontaine and Bevy. At the southern tip of Cote de Beaune is Maranges, responsible for delicate reds.