Burgundy is one of the best wine regions in France, and one of the most famous wine regions in the world. As far as wine tourism goes, there aren’t many better places to spend a few days enjoying the wine country lifestyle, than in beautiful Burgundy. In this guide, I’ve shared the best wineries that we visited in Burgundy’s Côte d’Or wine region, which is one of the best regions in Burgundy and perfect for visiting if you’re staying in Beaune.

I can’t recommend Burgundy highly enough, if you love food & wine travel. The wine region is gorgeous, with incredibly historic wineries and excellent cellar door (tasting room) experiences. Burgundian cuisine is where France’s famous haute cuisine developed, and every meal we ate reflected this sophistication and excellence. Beaune is a beautiful, historic town and the surrounding Burgundian villages and wineries are the epitome of the idyllic French countryside.

Read More: Itinerary for 2 Days in Burgundy

We spent two days in Burgundy on our most recent trip to France, staying in Beaune and exploring the wineries of the Côte d’Or region, which encompasses the Côte de Beaune and the Côte de Nuits. 

What are Burgundy wines?

Burgundy is a byword for excellence, heritage and luxury in the wine world, and produces some of the best pinoir noir (red burgundy) and chardonnay (white burgundy) in the world. Other varietals are grown, but a vast majority of wine in Burgundy is pinot noir or chardonnay, and this is what the region is known for. White burgundy is my favourite wine in the world!

Best wineries to visit in Cote d’Or, Burgundy

The Côte d’Or is one of Burgundy’s top wine regions, and includes the two sub regions of Côte de Beaune and the Côte de Nuits. Côte de Nuits is known for having some of Burgundy’s highest quality pinot noir, and Côte de Beaune is known for its excellent chardonnay.

These wineries are located primarily in the Côte de Beaune, but some, like Caveaux Moillard, produce Côte de Nuits wines, but with a tasting room in Côte de Beaune. 

Chateau Pommard

Chateau Pommard was easily the grandest winery we visited in Burgundy, and one of my favourites. At nearly 300 years old, it is one of the oldest wine estates in the Cote d’Or, and both the chateau (building) and the clos (vineyard plots) are UNESCO protected.

I think we were very lucky to be able to walk-in for a tasting here, without a reservation. We only had to wait 15 minutes, before our private guided tour & tasting began.

The tour started with a brief introduction to the chateau’s history, and the seven different types of soil found within Clos Marey-Monge, on the estate. They now offer wines made from each of the seven soils, as well as wines still made in their traditional style, where grapes from different soils were blended together.

What is quite incredible is that you can taste the difference between the same varietal of wine, which was made from grapes grown in different soils.

Chateau Pommard has preserved its precious heritage and traditions, while also becoming a sustainable vineyard in 2016, and becoming certified biodynamic in 2021.

Find a tour of Chateau Pommard

Chateau de Meursault

The village of Meursault is well-known in the wine world, for its fine examples of Burgundy. Chateau de Meursault is a beautiful winery, and it was another of my favourite of all the wineries we visited in Burgundy.  It is one of the grandest estates in Burgundy, and the history of the site can be traced back a thousand years, from when a Duke of Burgundy gifted the estate to one of his squires in the 11th century.

The staff here were very welcoming and knowledgeable, and I tasted – and bought – some of my favourite wines here.

Afterwards, I recommend staying in Meursault for lunch. There are few restaurants, and the busiest one to me seemed full of tourists. We walked in to a table at Le Globe, an unassuming hotel restaurant with a sunny courtyard, and were rewarded with one of the most exquisite meals of our trip.

Moillard

Just outside Meursault, Moillard’s new, purpose-built tasting room is the perfect place to discover the historic French winemaker’s best wines. The tasting room may be new, but the house dates back to 1850. Many of these wines are Nuits-St-Georges, which is a highly sought after Village Appellation, known for producing lively reds (pinot noir). 

There are two locations for Caveaux Moillard on Google Maps, this tasting room is located here.

Chateau de Chassagne-Montrachet

Chateau de Chassagne-Montrachet is a prestigious Burgundy winery, and one you will definitely need to make a reservation for. The impressive estate faces Burgundy’s treasured Grand Cru Vineyard of Le Montrachet, which produces some of the most sought-after white wines in the world (labelled as Montrachet, made of chardonnay with up to 15% pinot blanc).

The cellar dates back to the 11th century, and it is believed that the vineyard dates back to the 9th century. We arrived without a reservation, which was not ideal. For the best experience, and access to the best wines, book a reservation in advance.

You can also stay at Chateau de Chassagne-Montrachet, which has a stylish guest house located amongst the vineyards.

Marche aux Vins

Marche aux Vins is not a winery, but is an excellent place to go wine tasting in Burgundy. Located in the heart of Beaune, Marche aux Vins is a wine centre where you can explore the wines of Burgundy through a self-guided wine tasting. 

After purchasing your ticket, the first part of the self-guided wine tasting is in the basement wine caves, where you can pour your own white burgundy (chardonnay). When we visited, we were the only ones there, in the height of summer!

Upstairs, you can taste red burgundy (pinot noir), by scanning your ticket at a wine machine, which will dispense your tasting.

Afterwards, enjoy a glass of wine in Place Carnot, which is lined with restaurants.

Do you need a reservation for wine tasting in Burgundy?

Officially, yes you should book your wine tastings in Burgundy, in advance. Did we? No.

I love visiting wineries, but what I love even more is a bit of wriggle room, a bit of spontaneity and room to explore on a holiday. 

I wasn’t sure how much time to allow between winery appointments, whether making an appointment would imply that we were planning to buy cases and cases of wine, or imply that we expected a level of service at the cellar door that we didn’t need. Shipping and taxes to Australia on wines is horrific, so we had no plans to send cases home (regrettably). 

I also wanted to be able to get recommendations from people in Burgundy about where to go, or to follow my nose and stop at the places that looked most interesting to us.

As a result, we didn’t book any wine tastings in Burgundy or in Alsace, which we visited afterwards. This worked out well, overall. 

When we arrived at each winery, we apologised that we didn’t have a booking, and asked if it would be possible to do a tasting. At nearly every winery, this was fine. 

The only place where this didn’t work out really was Chateau de Chassagne-Montrachet, we had a small tasting but we had to wait a very long time to get it, as the manager was busy with an American couple who were deep in the wine chat, and purchasing cases and cases of wine. 

We didn’t mind waiting. Our tasting was only from their entry-level pours, because we hadn’t booked (and I think he understood we weren’t going to be big customers). It was a fine tasting, but I would recommend booking for this winery, if visiting at all.

If you’re planning to go all in & buy lots of wine, or have wineries that you absolutely want to visit, make sure you book in advance. 

We bought quite a lot of wine in Burgundy & Alsace, but bought one or two bottles from each place, and took it to our friends place in Zurich, when we stayed with them later in our trip.

Wine Regions of Burgundy: A Brief Overview

Burgundy, or Bourgogne in French,  is one of the most prized wine regions in the world, and produces some of the most expensive wines in the world as a result. However, there are plenty of affordable wines as well – and they are typically sensational. 

The Vineyard Classifications

Burgundy is one of the most terroir-obsessed wine regions in the world. In Burgundy, wines are named for their location or appellation, rather than the grape varietal. This means that rather than focusing on the grape, or awarding a classification based on the producer, the classification ranking system focuses on the specific vineyard plot (or clos) that the wine came from.

In Burgundy, vineyards are often sub-divided into smaller plots, which are called clos in Burgundy. You’ll hear a lot about the merits of different clos as you make your way around Burgundy’s wineries.

Wines are classified as Grand Cru (the best), Premier Cru, Village and Regional appellations (.e.g Cote de Beaune Villages). While Grand Cru are obviously considered the best wines in the world, you’re just as likely to be blown away by a Village or Regional appellation. 

Burgundy wine regions

Burgundy is a very diverse wine region, best explored by sub-region. These regions cover a vast territory, and have diverse climates and soils as a result.

Côte d’Or – The Côte d’Or produces some of Burgundy’s most prestigious (and most expensive) wines. This region spreads south from Dijon, and is comprised of two distinct sub-regions: the Côte de Beaune and the Côte de Nuits.

• Côte de Beaune – Located around Beaune, best known for excellent chardonnay (my favourite!) and lighter reds. There are 8 Grand Crus vineyards here.
• Côte de Nuits – This region is known for its elegant, structured reds, with pinot noir making up 80% of the plantings here. There are 24 Grand Cru vineyards here.

Chablis – Chablis is a household name in the wine world, known for producing elegant, expensive chardonnay. 

Côte Chalonnaise – Less famous than the aforementioned reasons, but the best producers here can offer excellent value. Look out for Mercurey, the most important appellation in the Côte Chalonnaise. The wines in this region tend to be lighter, fruit-forward and fresh.

Mâconnais  – Located 100km northwest of Lyon, le Mâconnais products good-value Burgundy and offers a range of appellations. Look out for Macon, Macon-Villages and Pouilly-Fuisse.

Beaujolais – Beaujolais is considered a little bit separately to the premier wine regions of Burgundy proper, but is beloved for its lighter, juicy reds which are made from gamay, rather than pinot noir. The release of the latest Beaujolais Nouveau is a celebration every year, with this wine being best enjoyed young.

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