Côte Chalonnaise

The Côte Chalonnaise is the natural extension of the Côte de Beaune, with vines planted on the best southeast-facing slopes of a landscape spiked with hills, in soils similar to those of the nearby Côte de Beaune. Its five communes begin to the southeast of Santenay, the southernmost commune of the Côte d'Or, and the soil is largely crumbly limestone, mixed variously with clay, gravel and sand. Bouzeron is the Village appellation closest to the Côte-d'Or, separated from Santenay by the valley of the Dheune; it is produced in the communes of Bouzeron and Chassey-le-Camp, at altitudes between 270 and 350 metres, with 62.47 ha under production in 2022. Rully is produced in Rully and Chagny, with 248.34 ha of white and 118.10 ha of red in 2022. Mercurey, in the heart of the Côte Chalonnaise 12 kilometres from Chalon-sur-Saône, is produced in Mercurey and Saint-Martin-sous-Montaigu. Givry, produced in Givry, Dracy-le-Fort and Jambles, is primarily a red wine made from Pinot Noir. Montagny, at the southern end of the Côte Chalonnaise, is produced in Montagny, Buxy, Saint-Vallerin and Jully-lès-Buxy and makes white wines only.

• Bouzeron: Aligoté only; communes Bouzeron and Chassey-le-Camp; 62.47 ha under production in 2022
• Rully: communes Rully and Chagny; 248.34 ha of white and 118.10 ha of red in 2022
• Mercurey: communes Mercurey and Saint-Martin-sous-Montaigu; 530.06 ha of red and 115.59 ha of white in 2022
• Givry: 250.30 ha of red and 58.86 ha of white in 2022; Montagny: 362.09 ha, Chardonnay only, in 2022

The Côte Chalonnaise's appellations are Village appellations, some of which have Climats classified as Premiers Crus, plus Régionale appellations; no Grand Cru appellation appears among them. Mercurey has 32 Premier Cru Climats, Givry 38 and Montagny 49, and Rully has 23 named Premier Cru Climats, while Bouzeron has lieux-dits only. Premier Cru vineyards accounted for 219.81 of Montagny's 362.09 ha in 2022, and for 126.21 of Givry's 250.30 ha of red. Premier Cru Climats include Le Clos du Roy, Les Vasées and Clos des Myglands in Mercurey; Clos Salomon, Clos Jus and Petit Marole in Givry; Cloux, La Pucelle and Rabourcé in Rully; and Le Vieux Château, Les Coères and Le Cloux in Montagny. On the label, the village appellation and its Premier Cru may be followed by the name of the Climat of origin. Mercurey and Montagny were created on 11 September 1936, Rully on 13 June 1939, Givry on 8 February 1946 and Bouzeron on 17 February 1998.

• No Grand Cru appellation; Premier Cru Climats in four villages: Rully 23, Mercurey 32, Givry 38, Montagny 49
• Bouzeron: lieux-dits only, no Premier Cru Climats
• Creation dates: Mercurey and Montagny 1936, Rully 1939, Givry 1946, Bouzeron 1998
• Montagny Premier Cru: 219.81 of 362.09 ha under production in 2022

Rully has been an important centre for making Crémant de Bourgogne since the early 19th century. Sparkling Bourgogne was first made at the beginning of that century at Chablis, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Rully and Tonnerre, and the Crémant de Bourgogne appellation was created on 17 October 1975. In 1997, grapes for the Crémant de Bourgogne produced by négociants in Rully were sourced from outside the commune. In Montagny, Jancis Robinson writes that the appellation "is a name brought to thousands by négociant Louis Latour's longstanding purchasing arrangement with the Buxy co-operative", and James Lawther MW, writing for Decanter with 1997 figures, found the most readily available Montagny examples were produced by the négociants and the cooperative at Buxy. In 1997 the house of Faiveley held 56 ha in Mercurey and 79 ha in the Côte Chalonnaise, with the Premier Cru Clos des Myglands a monopole. Producers include Joblot in Givry and Domaine Vincent Dureuil-Janthial in Rully, and François Lumpp set up on his own in Givry in 1991. In Mercurey, the Brotherhood of the Chanteflûte, created in 1971, brings local winemakers together to promote the wines of Mercurey.

Primary sources (BIVB and INAO): https://www.bourgogne-wines.com/wine-and-terroir/our-vineyards/the-cote-chalonnaise-and-couchois/the-cote-chalonnaise-and-the-couchois-historical-winegrowing-terroir,2472,9316.html, https://www.bourgogne-wines.com/our-wines-our-terroir/the-bourgogne-winegrowing-region-and-its-appellations/bouzeron,2458,9253.html?&args=Y29tcF9pZD0yMjc4JmFjdGlvbj12aWV3RmljaGUmaWQ9MjU3Jnw%3D, https://www.bourgogne-wines.com/our-wines-our-terroir/the-bourgogne-winegrowing-region-and-its-appellations/rully,2458,9253.html?&args=Y29tcF9pZD0yMjc4JmFjdGlvbj12aWV3RmljaGUmaWQ9Mzg4Jnw%3D, https://www.bourgogne-wines.com/our-wines-our-terroir/the-bourgogne-winegrowing-region-and-its-appellations/mercurey,2458,9253.html?&args=Y29tcF9pZD0yMjc4JmFjdGlvbj12aWV3RmljaGUmaWQ9MzQ4Jnw%3D, https://www.bourgogne-wines.com/our-wines-our-terroir/the-bourgogne-winegrowing-region-and-its-appellations/givry,2458,9253.html?&args=Y29tcF9pZD0yMjc4JmFjdGlvbj12aWV3RmljaGUmaWQ9MzEyJnw%3D, https://www.bourgogne-wines.com/our-wines-our-terroir/the-bourgogne-winegrowing-region-and-its-appellations/montagny,2458,9253.html?&args=Y29tcF9pZD0yMjc4JmFjdGlvbj12aWV3RmljaGUmaWQ9MzUyJnw%3D, https://www.bourgogne-wines.com/our-wines-our-terroir/the-bourgogne-winegrowing-region-and-its-appellations/bourgogne-cote-chalonnaise,2458,9253.html?&args=Y29tcF9pZD0yMjc4JmFjdGlvbj12aWV3RmljaGUmaWQ9MjM0Jnw%3D, https://www.bourgogne-wines.com/our-wines-our-terroir/the-bourgogne-winegrowing-region-and-its-appellations/cremant-de-bourgogne,2458,9253.html?&args=Y29tcF9pZD0yMjc4JmFjdGlvbj12aWV3RmljaGUmaWQ9MzAxJnw%3D, https://www.inao.gouv.fr/produit/bouzeron-7747, https://www.bourgogne-wines.com/who-are-we/the-bivb-the-voice-of-the-bourgogne-wine-trade,2329,9293.html. Secondary sources: https://www.jancisrobinson.com/learn/wine-regions/france/burgundy/cote-chalonnaise, https://www.decanter.com/features/cote-chalonnaise-5-great-value-communes-273127/, https://www.decanter.com/features/cote-chalonnaise-getting-better-248231/. Last verified 2026-10-05