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Location: The southern half of the Côte d’Or, below the Côte de Nuits.
Landscape: Limestone slopes, marl, clay and side valleys create varied exposures and soils.
Climate: Continental influences and variable seasons make frost, hail and harvest weather important.
Useful contrast: The Côte de Beaune is famous for Chardonnay, but also produces important Pinot Noir reds.

North: The Corton hill is associated with Ladoix-Serrigny, Aloxe-Corton and Pernand-Vergelesses.
Around Beaune: Savigny-lès-Beaune lies northwest of Beaune; Pommard and then Volnay lie to the south.
White-wine villages: Continue south through Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet.
Side valleys & south: Auxey-Duresses and Saint-Aubin lie off the main strip; Santenay is a southern reference.

Whites: Chardonnay leads; barrel fermentation, lees contact and malolactic fermentation are common choices, not one universal recipe.
Reds: Pinot Noir; extraction, stem use and oak maturation affect tannin, perfume and weight.
Soil & flavour: Limestone can influence vine conditions, but does not mechanically produce a mineral aroma.
Colour matters: Puligny, Chassagne and Meursault can also produce red wines; do not infer colour from reputation alone.

Corton: Grand Cru wines can be red or white; named climats include Le Clos du Roi, Les Bressandes and Les Renardes.
Corton-Charlemagne: A white Chardonnay Grand Cru, with its own delimited area.
Charlemagne: A separate white Grand Cru appellation name in the Burgundy inventory.
Read carefully: Aloxe-Corton or Pernand-Vergelesses village wine is not automatically Grand Cru because it grows near the hill.

Montrachet: A white Grand Cru shared by Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet.
Other Grand Crus: Bâtard-Montrachet, Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet, Chevalier-Montrachet and Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet.
Common confusion: Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet are village appellations, not synonyms for Montrachet Grand Cru.
Meursault: Village and Premier Cru wines, with no Meursault Grand Cru.

Shared grape: Both are Pinot Noir red appellations with Village and Premier Cru wines.
Pommard tendency: Often described as firmer and more structured.
Volnay tendency: Often described as more fragrant and finely textured.
Compare bottles: Producer, climat and vintage can outweigh those broad tendencies; neither village has a Grand Cru tier.

Hautes Côtes: Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune comes from higher vineyards west of the main Côte, producing red and white wines.
Côte de Beaune-Villages: A separate red-only Village appellation with a geographical area of 16 communes; not a collective name for every Côte de Beaune wine.
Côte de Beaune: Also a distinct Village appellation in the commune of Beaune, producing still white and red wines. Read the complete label to distinguish district and AOC.

White comparison: Compare Chardonnay body and oak with the sauce: a fresher white can suit sole meunière, while a broader, wooded bottle can meet chicken with morels and cream. Judge the available Meursault, Puligny or Chassagne rather than assigning a fixed village style.
Red comparison: Match a supple red to guinea fowl with girolles; choose roast lamb with thyme jus for a firmer, fuller bottle. Do not treat all Côte de Beaune reds as light.
Service: Start whites around 11–13°C and reds around 15–17°C; adjust to the actual bottle. Taste in the glass first; try brief aeration only if a robust bottle remains closed, then reassess. For fragile mature wine, decant gently only if sediment needs separating and serve promptly.
Guest question: “Would you prefer a fresher, more delicate wine or one with more weight and texture?”