Beaune AOC: 42 Premier Cru Vineyards Including Clos des Mouches and Les Grèves

Beaune has functioned as the commercial heart of Burgundy since the medieval period, when the town served as an administrative center for the Duchy of Burgundy. Its walled center, still largely encircled by 15th-century ramparts, became firmly established as the region's négociant hub. The Hospices de Beaune, founded in 1443 by Chancellor Nicolas Rolin, chancellor to Duke Philip the Good, and his wife Guigone de Salins as a charitable hospital, remains the most celebrated institution in the region. Over the centuries, grateful benefactors donated vineyard parcels to the Hospices, building an estate now spanning around 60 hectares across 120 individual plots. In 1859 the Hospices began auctioning its harvest to fund hospital operations, a tradition that continues as the world's oldest charity wine auction. Major négociant houses have long anchored themselves in Beaune: Bouchard Père & Fils was founded here in 1731, Maison Joseph Drouhin established in 1880, and Louis Jadot among several others that have maintained cellars in the town for generations.

• Hospices de Beaune founded 1443 by Nicolas Rolin, chancellor to Duke Philip the Good; charity auction held annually since 1859 on the third Sunday of November
• Bouchard Père & Fils founded 1731 by Michel Bouchard; headquartered at Château de Beaune (a former royal fortress) since 1820; sold to Joseph Henriot in 1995
• Major négociant houses including Joseph Drouhin (est. 1880), Louis Jadot, and Chanson have maintained long-standing cellars in Beaune, dominating local vineyard ownership

Beaune's vineyards occupy the eastern slope of the Côte d'Or escarpment at elevations between approximately 220 and 340 meters, with most Premier Cru sites situated on mid-slope at optimal east to southeast exposures. The soils are broadly calcareous marl (marno-calcaires), with Jurassic limestone as the bedrock. Soil character shifts with altitude and position: upper slopes tend toward thin, rocky limestone and clay-limestone substrates, while mid-slope soils (where most Premier Crus sit) carry varying proportions of clay, limestone, and in certain climates like Les Grèves, higher sand and gravel content. This sandy and gravelly character in parts of Beaune means wines tend toward elegant finesse rather than the heavier structure found in clay-dominated Pommard to the south. The climate is continental, with warm summers, cold winters, and the day-night temperature swings that preserve acidity and promote aromatic complexity in both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

• Vineyards at 220 to 340 meters elevation on east to southeast-facing slopes; Premier Cru sites concentrated at optimal mid-slope positions
• Soils are calcareous marl (marno-calcaires) over Jurassic limestone; Les Grèves and similar sites have notably higher sand and gravel content than neighboring Pommard
• Continental climate with warm summers and cool nights; higher sand content in Beaune soils contributes to lighter, more perfumed style compared to heavier clay-dominant neighboring communes

Pinot Noir accounts for around 85% of Beaune production, producing medium-bodied wines with characteristic red fruit aromas (cherry, raspberry, strawberry), fine tannins, and earthy undertones. The relatively sandy and gravelly soils at certain sites contribute to a lighter, more perfumed style compared to the more powerful wines of neighboring Pommard. AOC regulations permit up to 15% of Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc, and Pinot Gris as accessory grapes in red wines, though this is rarely practiced. Chardonnay makes up the remaining 15% of production, yielding refined white wines with citrus, hazelnut, and mineral notes. Premier Cru red wines must reach a minimum 11.0% potential alcohol; Premier Cru whites must reach 11.5%. The most highly regarded Premier Crus, including Clos des Mouches, Les Grèves, Bressandes, and Teurons, are recognized for their ability to age gracefully and develop secondary complexity over 10 to 20 or more years.

• Pinot Noir (85% of production): lighter, more perfumed style than Pommard due to higher sand content in soils; red fruit, fine tannins, earthy notes
• Chardonnay (15% of production): white Clos des Mouches (Drouhin) is the appellation's most celebrated white wine, offering citrus, hazelnut, and mineral character
• Minimum potential alcohol: 10.5% village-level red, 11.0% village-level white and Premier Cru red, 11.5% Premier Cru white; base yields 40 hl/ha red, 45 hl/ha white

Joseph Drouhin's holding in Clos des Mouches is the appellation's most internationally recognized Premier Cru wine. At 14 hectares, Drouhin's parcel is the largest within the Clos des Mouches climat and was assembled in the 1920s by Maurice Drouhin from 41 individual parcels across 8 proprietors. The vineyard is planted equally to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, and both the red and white versions carry exceptional reputations; the white is widely regarded as the most prestigious white wine produced in the Beaune appellation. Bouchard Père & Fils, founded in 1731 and one of the Côte d'Or's largest vineyard owners with 130 hectares including 74 hectares of Premier Cru, holds the Vigne de l'Enfant Jésus as a 3.92-hectare monopole within Les Grèves, acquired in 1791. Les Grèves itself stretches across approximately 32 hectares and is characterized by sandy, gravelly, clay-limestone soils with an east-southeast exposure. Other highly regarded Premier Crus include Bressandes, Teurons, Clos du Roi, and Marconnets.

• Clos des Mouches (Drouhin): 14-hectare parcel (largest in the climat) assembled in the 1920s by Maurice Drouhin; both red and white versions are among Beaune's most sought-after Premier Crus
• Vigne de l'Enfant Jésus (Bouchard Père & Fils): 3.92-hectare monopole within Les Grèves, acquired in 1791 from Carmelite ownership; widely considered Beaune's unofficial finest Premier Cru
• Bouchard Père & Fils (est. 1731) holds approximately 48 hectares in Beaune across multiple climates; Chanson Père & Fils is the second-largest Beaune landowner with around 26 hectares

Beaune AOC was established by decree on 11 September 1936, among Burgundy's earliest appellation classifications. The 42 Premier Cru vineyards within the commune are classified as individual climates, each with its own registered boundaries. Wines from a single climate may be labeled with both the commune name and the specific Premier Cru site name (e.g., Beaune Premier Cru Les Grèves), or wines blended from multiple Premier Cru sites may be labeled simply as Beaune Premier Cru. Base yields are set at 40 hl/ha for red wines and 45 hl/ha for white wines. Minimum potential alcohol thresholds are 10.5% for village-level reds, 11.0% for village-level whites and Premier Cru reds, and 11.5% for Premier Cru whites. Beaune contains no Grand Cru vineyards, making it unusual among major Côte d'Or communes. More than three-quarters of the total vineyard surface is classified Premier Cru, one of the highest proportions in all of Burgundy.

• AOC created 11 September 1936; 42 Premier Cru climates; no Grand Cru vineyards exist within the Beaune commune
• Base yields: 40 hl/ha red, 45 hl/ha white; minimum potential alcohol: 10.5% village red, 11.0% village white and Premier Cru red, 11.5% Premier Cru white
• Labeling: single-climate wines labeled 'Beaune Premier Cru [climat name]'; multi-site blends labeled simply 'Beaune Premier Cru'; more than 75% of total vineyard surface carries Premier Cru status

Beaune is Burgundy's principal tourist destination, drawing visitors to its intact medieval ramparts, the iconic Hôtel-Dieu (with its famous polychrome glazed-tile roof, now a museum), and the Collégiale Notre-Dame. The town's underground cellars, carved into limestone beneath the Château de Beaune and other négociant properties, run up to 10 meters deep and are used to age millions of bottles. Each November the Hospices de Beaune auction forms the centerpiece of Les Trois Glorieuses, a three-day festival organized by the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin that begins with a banquet at Clos Vougeot and concludes with celebrations in Beaune's streets and surrounding estates. The auction, held at the Halles de Beaune, sells the current vintage en primeur in barrel; a single barrel known as the Pièce des Présidents is sold by candlelight to benefit rotating charitable causes. In 2024, the auction raised over 13 million euros for hospital construction and operations.

• Hôtel-Dieu (1443): Flamboyant Gothic masterpiece with polychrome glazed-tile roof; functions as a museum; annual charity wine auction held in the adjacent Halles de Beaune since 1859
• Les Trois Glorieuses (third weekend of November): three-day Burgundy festival anchored by the Hospices auction; the 2024 auction raised over €13 million for new hospital construction
• Négociant cellars beneath Beaune's town center offer guided tastings and historic bottle libraries; Bouchard Père & Fils' Château de Beaune cellars hold bottles dating to the 19th century