Hallowed Ground

The Cote de Nuits wine trail crosses, famous villages whose names have been around the world. Download a free copy of the map here.

Originally posted September 24, 2015.

Today Debbie and I drove the length of the Cote de Nuits, the northern half of Burgundy’s famous Cote d’Or. Here is produced the incomparable red wine made from the Pinot Noir—though there are a few isolated white wines planted in Chardonnay, specifically the ultra-rare Corton-Charlamagne.

Included on our trip were visits to Aloxe-Corton, Vosne-Romanee, Morey-Saint-Denis, Gevrey-Chambertin, and Fixin. The tiny, ancient wine villages sit timelessly, with little in the way of commercial activity except, here and there, for the occasional small hotel, bistro or neighborhood pharmacy. There are few stoplights, and it is rare to see a soul on the narrow streets as we wind our way through the villages and uphill to the choicest vineyards. Almost by chance, Debbie and I were able to locate both our targeted Domaine Romanee Conti and Corton-Charlamagne, perhaps the worldwide king and queen of fine wine. Romanee-Conti, which covers a mere 4½ acres, produces but 500 cases per year. In comparison, Bordeaux covers 250,000 acres and produces somewhere on the order of 30 million cases of wine per year.

When asked the question Burgundy or Bordeaux Daniel Johnnes, wine director for Daniel Boulud, responded, “Ask anyone in the world of wine and they will laugh at the question—Burgundy!”