The Timelessness of the Côte-d'Or: A Window into Burgundy's Elegance

The Côte-d'Or, i.e. the Golden Slope, gives us the most expensive white and red wines in the world. Despite their high cost and the constant epithets in the superlative, they do not often win the coveted 100 points from Wine Advocate or Wine Spectator, unlike the same Bordeaux wines. What is the essence and mystery of wines from the heart of Burgundy? That's what we're going to talk about. 

Experts in the age argue that one of the manifestations of the greatness of Burgundy and the Côte d'Or in particular is that they are timeless. Except for minor signs of civilization, little has changed in local life in recent times. This is easy to believe, having been there or having experienced Burgundian winemakers: for many of them, concepts such as Zoom, Skype, and in some cases email, can be baffling.

Burgundy's Unique Dynasties: Centuries-Old Tradition vs. Newcomers

The dynasties here mainly fall into two types: those whose winemaking history goes back centuries, and those who came here in the 1920s and 1930s, when the economic crisis forced many of the older winemakers to sell their vineyards. Newcomers, in general, are not very welcome here, and while in Bordeaux it is quite normal to accept that famous chateaux belong to multinational corporations, in Burgundy the purchase of a tiny vineyard in Gevre-Chambertin by a foreign businessman in 2011 caused a real scandal, a storm of anger and criticism of the authorities. Hardly anywhere else in the world are there two such opposing great wine regions as Bordeaux and Burgundy.

The High Demand and Premium Prices of Côte-d'Or Wines

Côte-d'Or is a drop in the ocean of wine, and believe me: the Burgundians know their value and are well aware of the demand for their products, which does not need to be fuelled by Asia. Demand dictates prices, which, as a rule, from the start pass the €100 mark. But even if you are prepared to pay that kind of money (and this is fraught with disappointment for inexperienced wine lovers from unfulfilled expectations), you will not always succeed. Let's be honest: if in most cases there are no problems with buying a famous Bordeaux, then in search of a bottle of Jean Grivot, an odious producer from Vosne-Romanee, or, say, no less odious Domaine des Lambrays from Morey-Saint-Denis you will have to go round more than one restaurant/shop even in Burgundy itself.

The Best Producers 
The description of the best producers of Côte d'Or could be many times more voluminous than the whole article. Therefore, below we list just a fraction of the best producers specializing in wines from the following villages (from north to south):

Gevrey-Chambertin:Domaine Armand Rousseau, Bernard Dugat-Py, Claude Dugat, Domaine Rossignol-Trapet
Morey-Saint-Denis: Domaine des Lambrays, Hubert Lignier, Clos de Tart, Domaine Ponsot.
Chambolle-Musigny: Domaine Comte Georges de Vogue, Domaine George Roumier, Jacques-Frederic Mugnier.
Vougeot: Domaine Bertagna
Flagey-Echezaux: Emmanuel Rouget, Domaine Jean Grivot.
Vosne-Romanee: Leroy, Domaine Jean Grivot, Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, Domaine Francois Lamarche, Gros Frere & Soeur.
Aloxe-Corton: Domaine Follin-Arbellet, Domaine Antonin Guyon, Domaine Bonneau du Martray.
Beaune & Savigny-les-Beaune: Domaine Tolleau-Beaut.
Pommard: Jean-Marc Boillot, Domaine de Coursel.
Volnay: Domaine Comte Lafon, Domaine Marquis d'Angerville.
Meursault: Domaine Comte Lafon, Patrick Javillier.
Puligny-Montrachet: Louis Carillon, Domaine Leflaive.
Chassagne-Montrachet: Simon Bize, Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey, Domaine Ramonet.
Saint-Aubin: Marc Colin.