WineRegiionsOld WorldFranceBurgandy
Cote d'Or
Cote de Nuits
From Marsannay-la-Cote the suburbs extend without a break to Dijon. In
the last century there were some 3,000 hectares (7,400 acres) of vineyard
around this growing town, but these have almost all disappeared. Only Chenove
still has a few productive plots left, the best known of them being the
Clos du Roy. These vineyards are entitled to the Marsannay appellation.
You reach Marsannay-la-Cote, the northernmost wine commune, by way of Couchey
. Both communes can produce the rose of Marsannay an excellent dry wine
made from the Pinot Noir grape. The innovative grower Joseph Clair first
made this rose in 1919. There are also red and white burgundies with the
name of Marsannay, but both lack the charm of the rose.
Fixin's growers are free to sell their wine either under the name of the
commune or as Cote de Nuits-Villages. Fixin is a charming village with a
beautiful church, a museum dedicated to Napoleon set in a park and a number
of good vineyards. The wines have a little less lustre than those of Gevrey-Chambertin,
but they are akin to them. They usually have lots of color and are firm
in structure. Clos du Chapitre and Clos de la Perriere are regarded as the
best Premiers Crus.
Brochon is the next village south. Seemingly as well placed as Gevrey, it
nevertheless has no commune appellation of its own. The southern vineyards
are entitled to the Gevrey-Chambertin name, but the rest of Brochon's land
has to use the Cote de Nuits-Villages appellation.