Côte de Nuits

Did You Know?

• Marsannay-la-Couche is unique in Burgundy for producing wine of all three colors: red and rosé from Pinot Noir, white from Chardonnay.
• The Hautes-Côtes de Nuits is a separate appellation for the hills west of Nuits-St-Georges.

History

The early history of the Côte de Nuits is part of the greater Côte d'Or. Romans introduced viticulture during their settlement of Gaul in the 3rd century AD, encouraging the Aedui to plant vines on a narrow strip east of Augustodunum, an area called Pagus Arebrignus that later split into the Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune. In 312 AD, Emperor Constantine visited; his orator described the difficulties of cultivating vines on a narrow patch between marshy plains and rocky hilltops, where winter frost often devastated crops, and transporting wine in fragile barrels along pothole-filled roads was treacherous.

The orator also noted tangled old vines and knotted roots, suggesting the practice of provignage. By the Middle Ages, Benedictines and Cistercians dominated. The Dukes of Burgundy and Valois spread the area's renown through political influence and church patronage. By the 15th century, the vineyards of Chambertin and Nuits had reputations apart from greater Burgundy, and the concept of terroir began to be associated with the area.

In the 17th century, the bourgeoisie acquired more vineyards as church landholders sold holdings: in 1631 the Abbey of St-Vivant sold its Vosne-Romanée holdings; in 1651 the Cathedral at Langres sold Clos de Beze; in 1662 the Cistercians sold all their Fixin vineyards.

Climate and geography

Located near the 47th parallel north, the Côte de Nuits is one of the northernmost regions for premium red wines, but this brings high vintage variation from winter hail, spring frost, and cool autumn rains that can impede ripening. Vineyards are planted on east and southeast facing slopes at elevations between 800 and 1000 ft (250–300 m), with premier and grand cru vineyards almost always on this ideal aspect. The area has a continental climate with very cold winters and warm summers, moderated by the nearby Saône river and the foothills of the Massif Central.

Its location at a climatic crossroads exposes it to weather fronts from the Baltic Sea, Atlantic, and Mediterranean, adding to vintage variability. Warm southern winds can bring heat but also thunderstorms and hail, especially when they meet Atlantic influences. In summer, anticyclonic conditions are moderated by the cooling la bise wind from the north. The term côte means hill, describing the region's placement along the northern Côte d'Or escarpment just south of Dijon.

South of Corgoloin begins the Côte de Beaune. The region is very narrow, from less than a quarter mile (2/5 km) at its narrowest to about a mile and a half (approx 2.4 km) at its widest. It lies along a fault line between the Saône plains and the Morvan hills. Dry valleys called combes, such as the Combe de Lavaux near Gevrey-Chambertin, and tributaries like the Meuzin near Nuits-St-Georges and the Vouge near Vougeot, break the escarpment and create patches with different aspects.

Viticulture

Viticulture in the Côte de Nuits follows tradition and AOC regulations, with high-density planting of 4,000 vines per acre (10,000 vines per ha), contrasting with other pinot noir regions like Oregon and the Russian River Valley that rarely exceed 2,000 vines per acre. Most vines are trained under the Guyot system, though some experimentation uses the Cordon de Royat system to temper vigor. Close plantings and tradition mandate manual harvesting, especially for premier and grand cru vineyards.

AOC regulations limit harvest yields for pinot noir to 40 hl/ha (2.3 tons per acre) for premier cru and village wines, and 35 hl/ha for grand cru. In exceptional years, growers can seek a plafond limite de classement (PLC) allowing a 20–30% increase in maximum yields. The primary grapes, pinot noir and chardonnay, are believed indigenous to Burgundy. Pinot noir is planted in areas with high marl proportions, while chardonnay is found in limestone-dominated vineyards.

Because the Côte de Nuits has significant marl areas, pinot noir dominates. Pinot noir is very reflective of terroir, so wines from the same producer and year can differ dramatically based on where the grapes were grown.

Winemaking

Winemaking in the Côte de Nuits operates on a small scale, with typical domaines producing 50 to 1,000 cases per year, unlike Bordeaux chateaux that often make over 20,000 cases. Vineyards are highly fragmented, with multiple owners each holding small parcels. A producer may own only 2 to 3 rows of vines, which they can produce as a separate wine or blend with other small holdings for village or district-level wines. Producers who keep production separate for grand cru or premier cru wines make very small quantities that fetch high prices due to limited supply.

Alternatively, grapes or wine can be sold to a negociant who may purchase similar lots from the same vineyard to produce more cases. Despite being made primarily from pinot noir, winemaking styles vary greatly. The individual producer's decisions at each step, from the sorting table onward, affect quality immensely. For this reason, along with the complex ownership of grand and premier cru vineyards, most wine experts place more weight on the producer's reputation and the vintage year than on the vineyard name when evaluating Burgundy wine.