How Pinot Noir Changes Across Burgundy - Reading the Regional Appellations

Wine prices have risen sharply in recent years, and nowhere more conspicuously than in Burgundy.

Not long ago you could still buy the great names of the Côte de Nuits - Gevrey-Chambertin, Vosne-Romanée - for a few thousand yen. Today, finding one under ten thousand is a genuine challenge.

Looking further afield for Pinot Noir is one answer. But there is another: within Burgundy itself there is still superb Pinot Noir to be had at prices that have not run away from us.

One grape, and yet Pinot Noir wears a startlingly different face from one corner of Burgundy to the next.

Climate, soil, altitude and generations of differing thinking in the vineyard all leave their mark, and few grapes register those differences as faithfully as Pinot Noir.

Here we look beyond the Côte de Nuits at three regional appellations - the Côtes d'Auxerre, the Côte de Beaune and the Côte Chalonnaise - and at what sets each of them apart in the glass.

Pinot Noir from the Côtes d'Auxerre

This district lies just west of Chablis. Say Chablis and most people picture white wine, but red is made here too, and made well.

What to expect in the glass

• Red fruit at its heart - cranberry, red cherry

• Modest in alcohol and light on its feet

• Bright acidity holding everything taut

• An earthy, faintly ferrous undertone

Between the cool climate and the Kimmeridgian soils, these are wines
where acidity and minerality lead, and fruit follows.

👉 Light, sharply drawn, made for the table
Outstanding with Japanese food, with starters, and with charcuterie.

▶ Our recommendation

Côtes d'Auxerre Rouge 2023, Domaine Goisot

Pinot Noir from the Côte de Beaune

Famous the world over for its whites,
the Côte de Beaune also turns out Pinot Noir of real grace and polish.

What to expect in the glass

• Red fruit to the fore - red cherry, raspberry

• A beautifully judged balance of acidity and fruit

• Silky tannins and a soft entry on the palate

• Delicate aromatics of flowers and black tea

Set against the Côte de Nuits,
what stands out here is elegance and clarity.

👉 Supple, elegant, harmonious
It sits happily with food and, better still, drinks beautifully young.

Two halves of the same Côte d'Or,
and yet the Côte de Nuits speaks of structure and depth,
the Côte de Beaune of grace and balance
- a difference Pinot Noir spells out unmistakably.

▶ Our recommendation

Pinot Noir 2023, Domaine David Moret

Pinot Noir from the Côte Chalonnaise

South of the Côte d'Or lies the Côte Chalonnaise,
an area whose quality has climbed steeply in recent years and which deserves your attention.

What to expect in the glass

• Welcoming fruit - cherry, raspberry

• Gentle, rounded acidity

• Soft tannins, ready to drink early

• A whisper of spice

In villages such as Mercurey and Givry
you find echoes of the Côte d'Or, expressed in a more straightforward, honest register.

👉 Generous in fruit, easy to love, and very good value
Equally at home as an introduction to Burgundy or as a midweek bottle.

▶ Our recommendation

Bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise Rouge 2023, Domaine de l'Évêché

In summary: Pinot Noir's character, region by region

One and the same grape,
and yet where it grew changes it this profoundly. That is the enduring fascination of Burgundy.

When you are hunting for Burgundian Pinot Noir at a price that still makes sense,
use this as your map and find the style that suits you.

That single step will deepen the pleasure enormously.