The Côte Chalonnaise is a wine-growing region in the department of Saône-et-Loire in Burgundy, eastern France. It is composed of five key communes, separated from each other by only a few kilometres. From North to South, they are: Bouzeron, Rully, Mercurey, Givry and Montagny. It takes its name from the commune of Chalon-sur-Saône.
The main Grape varieties of the Côte Chalonnaise are Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Gamay and various other red and white mutations of the Pinot family are planted in smaller quantities.
The Chalonnaise Lies between the Côte de Beaune to the north and the Mâconnais, just to the south. There is a Clear division between these two areas, clearly delineated by the border between the departments of Côte d'Or and Saône-et-Loire.
The ‘Generations of Jayer’ collection included 42 lots of some of the finest Burgundies ever bottled. A 12-bottle case of Grand Cru Henri Jayer for Georges Jayer, Echézeaux 1999 from Côte de Nuits led the charge, selling for £100,000 at the London auction. The second priciest lot was the Henri Jayer for Georges Jayer, Echézeaux 2001, which received a winning bid of £85,000. Henri Jayer was dubbed the ‘godfather of Burgundy’ after pioneering a range of key innovations in the region. He believed t ...
I first contributed to Decanter back in November 1988; the hundreds of columns and articles I’ve written since constitute a journey of discovery. I squirm, though, if I’m described as a ‘wine expert’. Whatever wine knowledge we acquire quickly cools, congeals and crusts over, like custard or gravy, as the years pass. The wine world expands at a clip. Every vintage rewrites history. It’s the chance to share discoveries – not just about wines, but about people, places and the act of drinking itsel ...
Imagine you went to a restaurant and ordered what you thought was a modest Burgundy, but it tasted like a great Bordeaux. Would you be disappointed? Even if what I received was technically a better wine, I think I would be. After all, quality isn’t the overriding criteria when I select a bottle of wine to drink; most of all, I’m thirsting for a specific style. That’s why I’m sometimes wary when hearing about a change of direction in an appellation. Am I still going to find the wine I’m looking f ...
