The Côte de Burgundy/cote-de-beaune/beaune">Beaune is a key wine region in Burgundy, eastern France. It owes its name to its main town, Beaune - the epicentre of local wine production and trade. Renowned for producing some of the world's most expensive white wines (most of which bear the name Montrachet in one form or another), the region also produces a handful of Burgundy's finest red wines, including those from the premier crus Pommard and grand cru Corton. As with most Burgundy wines, the white wines are made from Hardonnay">Chardonnay, the reds from Pinot Noir.
The Côte de Beaune is a narrow strip of land less than 5 kilometers wide, extending 25 kilometers to the northeast. The main Vineyard of the Côte de Beaune is almost exactly the same Size and shape as its northern counterpart, the Côte de Nuits. Together, these two regions form the Côte d'Or, a region named after the Côte d'Or and characterized by the Côte d'Or limestone escarpment that forms its backbone. The importance of this escarpment to Côte de Beaune viticulture is hard to underestimate; not only does it protect the vineyards from the prevailing westerly winds, but it also provides gently sloping, free-draining vineyard sites with near-perfect South and southeast aspects.
The latest edition of Liv-ex Power 100, which lists the most powerful fine wine brands, shows that the period between October 2020 and September 2021 experienced a rebalancing of the market, with a number of classic labels returning to prominence. Château Lafite Rothschild re-entered the top 10, moving from 11th to 2nd place, while fellow First Growths Mouton-Rothschild and Margaux have also risen, to 6th and 10th place respectively. Petrus also re-entered the top 10, now at 7th place after a ye ...
There’s no doubt that 2021 was a challenging vintage. Most explanatory statements or technical sheets handed out over the past few weeks have mentioned the unfavourable, oft disastrous weather conditions, the sometimes very low and disheartening yields and the slightly varied or unusual blends on offer in 2021. Difficulties faced by vignerons both inside and outside of the cellar have been explained in detail as has the raft of highly important decisions needed be made throughout the year, ...
Sotheby’s said wine and spirits auction sales rose by around 44% to $132m (£99.6m) in 2021, boosted by record prices, fresh partnerships and a wave of new buyers. Its figures also offered more evidence of a strong fine wine market this year. Wine represented $111m of Sotheby’s 2021 auction sales, with famous Burgundy labels dominating a list of best-selling lots. Other highlights included a recent sale of Châteaux Rauzan-Ségla and Canon wines, sourced direct from the Chanel-owned estates in Bord ...
