The town in the Côte de Beaune region, the southern part of the Côte d'Or, is considered the wine capital of French Burgundy (the political capital is Dijon). The town was founded by Julius Caesar (100-44 BC) as a Roman camp and was the seat of the kings of Burgundy until the 13th century. Under Duke Philip the Good (1396-1467), Nicolas Rolin (1376-1462) founded the world-famous "Hôtel Dieu", the Christian Hospices de Beaune, in 1443, which was used as a hospital until 1971. In the 18th century, the first major wine trading houses such as Champy (1720) and Bouchard (1721) were established in the town. The annual auction of wines for charitable purposes is now a world event. The town is still surrounded by walls and has numerous wine cellars.

Appellation

The Beaune appellation of the same name covers 414 hectares of vineyards, 90% of which produce red wines from Pinot Noir with a proportion of Pinot Gris and Pinot Liébault. The few white wines are made from Chardonnay with a proportion of Pinot Blanc. There are no Grands Crus. The more than 40 Premiers Crus cover 322 hectares, including Avaux, Bressandes, Cent Vignes, Champs Pimont, Clos des Mouches, Clos du Roy, Fèves, Gréves, Marconetts, Teurons, Vigne de l'Enfant Jésus and Vignes Franches. Côte de Beaune is an AOC located close to the town.

Producers

The best-known producers include Albert Bichot, André, Besancenot-Mathouillet, Bouchard Père et Fils, Hospices de Beaune, Jadot, Joseph Drouhin, Louis Latour, Morot and Tollot-Beaut.

Picture left: By Nikater - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link
Image on the right: By A,Ocram - Own work, CC0, Link