Regions

Côte Chalonnaise

koht shah-loh-NEHZ

Burgundy's Côte Chalonnaise, between the Côte de Beaune and the Mâconnais, home to the Village appellations of Bouzeron, Rully, Mercurey, Givry and Montagny.

The Côte Chalonnaise is the Burgundian sub-region immediately south of the Côte d'Or. The Bourgogne Wine Board (BIVB) places it between the Côte de Beaune to the north and the hills of the Mâconnais to the south, some 25 km long by 7 km wide, and James Lawther MW, writing for Decanter, describes Chalon-sur-Saône as the town that gives its name to the region. According to the BIVB, Chardonnay and Pinot Noir dominate, while Bouzeron is home to the only Village appellation made entirely from Aligoté. The five Village appellations are Bouzeron, Rully, Mercurey, Givry and Montagny. The BIVB says the Côte Chalonnaise is thought to be the geographical cradle of Crémant de Bourgogne: in 1822 négociants of Chalon-sur-Saône who owned vines in Rully and Mercurey invited a young man from the Champagne region to their estates, and sparkling white Bourgogne was born. The regional appellation Bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise dates from 1990, per the BIVB.

Geography and the Five Villages

The BIVB describes the Côte Chalonnaise as 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. Clive Coates MW, writing for Decanter, says the five communes begin to the southeast of Santenay, the southernmost commune of the Côte d'Or, and describes the soil as 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, and the BIVB recorded 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, per the BIVB. 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, according to the BIVB. 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 (BIVB)
Rully: communes Rully and Chagny; 248.34 ha of white and 118.10 ha of red in 2022 (BIVB)
Mercurey: communes Mercurey and Saint-Martin-sous-Montaigu; 530.06 ha of red and 115.59 ha of white in 2022 (BIVB)
Givry: 250.30 ha of red and 58.86 ha of white in 2022; Montagny: 362.09 ha, Chardonnay only, in 2022 (BIVB)

Key Facts

Between the Côte de Beaune to the north and the Mâconnais to the south; some 25 km long by 7 km wide (BIVB)
Five Village appellations: Bouzeron, Rully, Mercurey, Givry and Montagny (BIVB)
Bouzeron: the only Village appellation made entirely from Aligoté; created by the decree of 17 February 1998, replacing the regional appellation Bourgogne Aligoté Bouzeron (BIVB)
Premier Cru Climats listed by the BIVB: Mercurey 32, Givry 38, Montagny 49, Rully 23; none listed for Bouzeron
Mercurey in 2022: 530.06 ha of red and 115.59 ha of white under production (BIVB); Jancis Robinson calls it "the district's most important appellation by far"
Montagny: white wines only, from Chardonnay; 362.09 ha under production in 2022, including 219.81 ha of Premier Cru (BIVB)
Bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise regional appellation dates from 1990 and covers 44 communes in the cantons of Buxy, Chagny, Givry and Mont-Saint-Vincent (BIVB)

Premier Crus Without Grand Crus

The BIVB lists the Côte Chalonnaise's appellations as Village appellations, some of which have Climats classified as Premiers Crus, plus Régionale appellations; no Grand Cru appellation appears among them. The BIVB appellation sheets record 32 Premier Cru Climats in Mercurey, 38 in Givry and 49 in Montagny, and name 23 Premier Cru Climats in Rully, while the Bouzeron sheet lists 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, per the BIVB. Premier Cru Climats named by the BIVB 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. According to the BIVB, 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, as listed by the BIVB: Rully 23, Mercurey 32, Givry 38, Montagny 49
Bouzeron: the BIVB lists lieux-dits and no Premier Cru Climats
Creation dates (BIVB): Mercurey and Montagny 1936, Rully 1939, Givry 1946, Bouzeron 1998
Montagny Premier Cru: 219.81 of 362.09 ha under production in 2022 (BIVB)

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Crémant, Cooperatives and Producers

According to the BIVB, Rully has been an important centre for making Crémant de Bourgogne since the early 19th century, and the BIVB's Crémant de Bourgogne sheet records that sparkling Bourgogne was first made at the beginning of that century at Chablis, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Rully and Tonnerre; the Crémant de Bourgogne appellation was created on 17 October 1975. James Lawther MW, reporting for Decanter with 1997 figures, wrote that grapes for the Crémant de Bourgogne produced by négociants in Rully are 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 Lawther noted that the most readily available Montagny examples were produced by the négociants and the cooperative at Buxy. Among négociants, Lawther reported in 1997 that 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. Among growers, Jancis Robinson names Joblot in Givry and Domaine Vincent Dureuil-Janthial in Rully, and Lawther wrote that 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, per the BIVB.

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Sources and last verified

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 2026-09-24

Classification

Classification ladders

Geographic tiers

Burgundy AOC Hierarchy

Burgundy Full article 4 tiers, lowest to highest

4 Grand Cru

Grand Cru wines carry only the vineyard name on the label, without any village name, as each Grand Cru is its own independent appellation.

base yields 35 to 37 hl/ha reds, 40 to 64 hl/ha whites

Examples Les Clos Flagey-Échezeaux

Grand Cru wines carry only the vineyard name on the label, without any village name, as each Grand Cru is its own independent appellation

From Burgundy Wine Classification
3 Premier Cru

Premier Cru is the second tier, comprising around 640 named climat sites recognised for superior quality within their village appellation, whose wines must display the village name followed by the vineyard name on the label.

base yields 40 to 45 hl/ha reds, 45 to 68 hl/ha whites

Examples Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru Beaune Premier Cru Champs Pimont Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru "Aux Perdrix" Volnay Premier Cru Lassolle

Premier Cru wines must display the village name followed by the vineyard name on the label; when blended from multiple Premier Cru sites within a village, only 'Premier Cru' appears without a specific climat name

From Burgundy Wine Classification, read from two or more sentences
2 Village

Village-level wines carry a specific commune name such as Gevrey-Chambertin or Meursault, with no individual vineyard designation required.

Examples Mâcon-Villages Beaujolais-Villages AOC Côte de Beaune-Villages Côte de Nuits-Villages

Village-level wines carry a specific commune name such as Gevrey-Chambertin or Meursault, with no individual vineyard designation required

From Burgundy Wine Classification
1 Regional Bourgogne

Regional Bourgogne wines are sourced from the broadest geographic areas and represent the entry level, accounting for roughly half of all Burgundy wine production.

Examples Crémant de Bourgogne AOC Bourgogne Aligoté AOC Bourgogne Passe-tout-Grains AOC Bourgogne AOC

Regional Bourgogne wines, sourced from the broadest geographic areas, represent the entry level and account for roughly half of all Burgundy wine production

From Burgundy Wine Classification

Burgundy's classification is based exclusively on the terroir of the vineyard site, not on the reputation or performance of any individual producer or estate.
The system was formally codified by France's AOC legislation passed on 30 July 1936 under INAO oversight.
Chablis operates its own four-tier classification: Grand Cru, Premier Cru, Chablis, and Petit Chablis.

Tiers, criteria and figures come only from Burgundy Wine Classification own text. Tap a rung for its criteria and the sentence behind it.

Geographic tiers

Chablis Hierarchy

Burgundy Full article 4 tiers, lowest to highest

4 Chablis Grand Cru Chablis Grand Cru AOC

Chablis Grand Cru AOC operates as a single appellation subdivided into 7 named climats arranged in a continuous arc along the southwest-facing slopes of the single Grand Cru hill northeast of the town of Chablis, all on the Kimmeridgian outcrop.

7 climats at 110-250 m elevation, Kimmeridgian outcrop 150-220 m

Examples Les Clos

Chablis Grand Cru AOC operates as a single appellation subdivided into 7 named climats arranged in a continuous arc along the southwest-facing slopes of the single Grand Cru hill northeast of the town of Chablis: Bougros at the western end, then Preuses, Valmur, Vaudésir, Grenouilles, Les Clos, and Blanchot at the eastern end.

From Chablis
3 Chablis Premier Cru Chablis 1er Cru

Chablis Premier Cru includes 40 named climats arranged on the right bank and left bank of the Serein River on Kimmeridgian-anchored soils.

40 named climats

Examples Chablis Premier Cru AOC Chablis Premier Cru Vaucoupin

Chablis Premier Cru includes 40 named climats arranged on the right bank and left bank of the Serein River; the right-bank Premier Crus (Mont de Milieu, Montée de Tonnerre, Vaillons, Fourchaume, Côte de Léchet, Beauroy) cluster near the Grand Cru hill and share much of the Grand Cru hill's substrate exposure, while the left-bank Premier Crus (Montmains, Vaillons, Vau de Vey, Vau-Ligneau, Vaucoupin) operate on similar Kimmeridgian-anchored soils with slightly different aspect orientation.

From Chablis, read from two or more sentences
2 Chablis AOC

Chablis AOC at the next tier covers approximately 60% of total commercial volume on Kimmeridgian and Portlandian-mixed substrate.

approximately 60% of total commercial volume

Examples Petit Chablis AOC

Chablis AOC at the next tier covers approximately 60% of total commercial volume on Kimmeridgian and Portlandian-mixed substrate, with the AOC's expansion through the 1960s-1970s INAO classifications progressively extending the appellation's geographic boundaries; the largest contemporary Chablis AOC vineyard area is on the Kimmeridgian-Portlandian substrate boundary across the broader Chablis hillsides.

From Chablis
1 Petit Chablis Petit Chablis AOC

Petit Chablis AOC at the lowest tier covers vineyards primarily on Portlandian limestone at upper-slope elevations above 220 metres.

upper-slope elevations above 220 metres

Examples Petit Chablis AOC

Petit Chablis AOC at the lowest tier (introduced 1944) covers vineyards primarily on Portlandian limestone at upper-slope elevations above 220 metres; the formation produces softer, less mineral-driven wines that contrast stylistically with the Kimmeridgian-anchored higher tiers.

From Chablis

Petit Chablis AOC was introduced in 1944.
The Premier Cru count of 40 reflects progressive INAO classifications through the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s with subsequent refinements.
1960s-1970s INAO appellation expansions permitted Portlandian-soiled vineyards to qualify as Chablis AOC; William Fèvre's 1970s campaign for Kimmeridgian-only enforcement did not result in regulatory rollback.

Tiers, criteria and figures come only from Chablis own text. Tap a rung for its criteria and the sentence behind it.

How to Say It

Côte Chalonnaisekoht shah-loh-NEHZ

Bouzeronboo-zuh-ROHN

Rullyru-YEE

Mercureymehr-ku-RAY

Givryzhee-VREE

Montagnymohn-tah-NYEE

Aligotéah-lee-goh-TAY

Crémant de Bourgognekray-MAHN duh boor-GOH-nyuh

Exam Study NotesWSET / CMS

Côte Chalonnaise: between the Côte de Beaune (north) and the Mâconnais (south), some 25 km long by 7 km wide (BIVB); five Village AOCs: Bouzeron, Rully, Mercurey, Givry, Montagny
No Grand Cru; Premier Cru Climats listed by the BIVB: Rully 23, Mercurey 32, Givry 38, Montagny 49; none for Bouzeron
Bouzeron = the only Village appellation made entirely from Aligoté; the decree of 17 February 1998 replaced the regional appellation Bourgogne Aligoté Bouzeron
Montagny = white only (Chardonnay); Givry = primarily red (Pinot Noir); Mercurey had 530.06 ha of red and 115.59 ha of white in 2022 (BIVB)
Crémant: the BIVB says the Côte Chalonnaise is thought to be the geographical cradle of Crémant de Bourgogne (1822, Chalon-sur-Saône négociants with vines in Rully and Mercurey); Crémant de Bourgogne AOC 1975; Bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise regional AOC 1990

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