The Local Area
Beaune (7 km)
For those guests who would like to explore the numerous vineyards and chateau's, they will be spoilt for choice. The beautiful town of Beaune is only 3 miles away, where there are many delicious shops to browse around. Buy homemade wild peach jam from the tiny shop with a big name, Palais des Gourmets on Place Carnot and be tempted every step of the way by the charcuteries and patisseries. B0UCHE in Place Monge is famous for its chocolate and cakes, ALAIN HESS for cheeses and BOUTIQUE VEDRENNE has a glorious array of fruit liqueurs and marcs.
Wine Lovers should visit L'Athenaeum de la Vigne et du Vin in Rue de l'Hotel du Vin for books and accessories and Le Comptoir Viticole in Rue Samuel-Legay for more wine paraphernalia.
The town is famous for its Baroque Music Festival every week-end throughout July, the Festival, 'Cours, Eau, Jardins' throughout the summer, the Jazz Festival in September, the Hospice de Beaune Wine Auction in November, and the colourful Festival of Saint-Vincent, the patron saint of wine, each January.
Situated in the heart of prestigious vineyards, like Pommard, Corton-Charlemagne, La Romanee-Conti whose names make wine lovers' eyes sparkle, Beaune is also a city of art with the master element of the town's heritage: the Hotel-Dieu (Hospice de Beau ne) and its multicoloured roofs.
Beneath the cobblestone streets lies a treasure that every visitor has to visit! Since the Middle-Ages, Beaune is deeply involved in wine culture and trade, and became centre of international wine trade in the 18th century. Thus, Beaune has been designated CAPITAL OF BURGUNDY WINES where wine growers and merchants invite you to discover their wine cellars and taste their best wines.
Beaune is not only famous for its wines but also for its gastronomy. The town counts over a hundred restaurants offering pleasant moments for your taste buds. This delightful diversity of restaurants provides something for everyone in all circumstances: Brasserie's terrace, domain's table d'hote, Michelin star restaurants and more........
Discover also museums and production sites dedicated to local specialities such ha Cassis, mustard or Cremant de Bourgogne (sparkling wine )!
Tasting, Heritage, Discovery, Gastronomy and Leisure activities, the numerous charms of Beaune will attract you. BEAUNE, is a city where strolling is a Pleasure!
Travel a few kilometers and you will find Meursault, Puligny Monrachet, Pommard, Volnay, Monthelie, Auxey-Duresses. North towards Dijon there is Nuit St. George, Aloxe Corton, and Gevry Chamberton.
Meursault (3 km)
Local legend has it that a person who drinks only Meursault will never over-indulge, but I would hesitate to put this to the test, particularly with modern verification sometimes yielding full-bodied whites at 13.5 to 14 percent alcohol.
Meursault (Murr-so") is one of the relatively few Burgundy villages that produces almost entirely white wine (which, you'll recall, in Burgndy normally means Chardonnay). The whites made here tend to be both full-bodied and acidic, a combination that, at is best, yields wines of real character, particu larly from the region's three premier cru vineyards, Les Perrieres, Les Genevrieres and Les Charmes.
Puligny Montrachet (7 km)
The "Scabby Hill" ("Mont Rachaz"), not much more than an undulation between the villages of Puligy and Chassagne, is one of the most famous vineyards sites in the world. As with other Burgundy villages, both Puligny and Chassagne now officially append the name of their most famous vineyard to their own names. Wines from the chassagne side are called "Le Montrachet" and from the Puligny side simply "Montrachet" - there are 4 hectares of each. Above Montrachet proper is the 7.59ha of Chevaler Montrachet (all in Puligny), at the bottom of the slope lies Batard Montrachet (6.02ha in Pulligny). The names of these two Grand Crus supposedly reflect the division of the estate of the Seigneur de Montrachet between h is two sons, one of whom had been a knight in the Crusades, the other was illegitimate. Puligny also contains the Grand Cru of Bienvenues-Batad-Montrachet (3.69ha).
Pommard (6 km)
The square bell tower of its 18th century church characterise the village and on the hills that surround Pommard the vineyards dominate the landscape.
The Chateau de Pommard has recenetly undergone extensive refurbishment. It is open for tours of its vineyards, wine cellars and degustations of its own world renowned wine production.
Volnay (6 km)
The vineyards of Volnay are in the southern part of the Cote de Beaune, beetween Pommard and Meursault. As the village is bordered by the prestigious vines of Pommard and Meursault, every piece of ground that is capable of growing quality grapes is used. Producing only red wine from the Pinot noir grape, there is a total of 213 hectares of which 128 hectares contain 30 different Premier Cru appellations.
Monthelie (5 km)
A small village nestling in a valley behind Meursault and Volnay, Monthelie produces mostly red wines, mini-Volnays with ppealing fruit but sometimes a rustic edge, and a small amount of white wine. The best wines come from the steep slopes above the villae, such as Les Duresses.
Auxey-Duresses (6 km)
The village is nestled on a hillside which leads you until La Rochepot village and to is magnificent castle. A church built in the 15th century and the triptych arer worth seeing.
There are other things to do apart of WINE TASTING, that's if you are interested!!!
The village of LEVERNOIS (8 km), with its 18 hole and 9 hole courses is a popular destination for you golfers.
Photographs on this page by kind permission:
The vineyards of Chevalier-Montrachet, Montrachet, and Batard-Montrachet in Puligny-Montrachet. by Jonathan Caves (main background photo).
The Grand Cru vineyards, Burgundy. by CocktailSteward.
Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune Marion Schneider & Christoph Aistleitner
