The northern part of Burgundy's glorious Côte d'Or or golden slope (also taking its name from it's eastern-facing slope towards the Orient) is called the Côte de Nuits, from the name of the city of Nuits-St-George, and essentially is the broader area north of Burgundy's capital city of Beaune. Here, almost all the wines produced are red wines, whereas the southern part (south of Beaune) is the Côtes de Beaune, from the name of the city of Beaune, and whose area is dominated by whites (though reds are found here prolifically in certain pockets (e.g. the towns of Volnay and Pommard).
Regional wines or wines labeled 'Bourgogne' represent about 50-55% of all plantings in burgundy. These are the wines consumed by the vast majority of Burgundians and represent good quality for the money. These wines typically are not 100% from a distinct appellation area, lieu-dit or village (or might be a combination thereof) and therefore are labeled with the baseline 'regional' burgundy designation. Village wines (like Gevrey-Chambertin or Chassagne-Montrachet for example) represent the next level in historical quality, and are associated with an AOC village (and aren't typically from a specific vineyard) and whose area represents about 25% of all plantings in Burgundy. With village wines (always labeled accordingly on the bottle) the price reflects the association with the village and also more definitively is reflective of the local terroir and expected quality level from that hamlet. It's that simple.
This weekend is a brilliant comparison of both regional wines from a producer who also produces a high quality village wine. You'll have the opportunity to taste Cote de Beaune whites (regional vs. village) and Cote de Nuits reds (regional vs. village), again, each from the SAME producer!
This is tasting comparison you won't want to miss. Join us!
