Burgundy names its wine after the place the grapes grew, down to a single walled plot. Once you can read the four levels on a label, you know what each tasting pours and why the fares differ. It is the thing to learn before you compare burgundy vineyard tours.
The region covers 28,841 hectares of vines, about 3% of France's wine growing, over 230 km north to south. Most tours spend their day on one slope of it, the Côte d'Or south of Dijon, which splits into the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune.
The BIVB counts 84 appellations in Burgundy. Other names you see on labels are geographical additions, not appellations of their own. The table shows the four levels, from the broadest to the most precise.
| Level | How many | What the label names | An example |
|---|---|---|---|
| Régionale | 7 appellations | The region, sometimes with a grape or an area | Bourgogne, Crémant de Bourgogne |
| Village | 44 appellations | The village the grapes grew in | Meursault, Gevrey-Chambertin |
| Premier Cru | Climats within the Village appellations | The village plus the name of the climat | A named climat of Meursault |
| Grand Cru | 33 appellations | The climat's name alone | Corton, Clos de Vougeot |
The higher the level, the smaller the place on the label. A Grand Cru needs no village name at all. On a tour, the level is what the fare buys you: the Grand Cru route day from Beaune pours 14 wines, from Village and Premier Cru to one Grand Cru.
A climat is a vineyard parcel with its own soil, slope and exposure, precisely marked on the ground. UNESCO listed 1,247 of them in 2015, on the slopes of the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune. They run 50 km south of Dijon, as far as Maranges.
You can still see many of the boundaries: paths, stone walls, fences and the stone heaps called meurgers. The monks, first the Benedictines and then the Cistercians, and the Valois Dukes of Burgundy drew the system from the High Middle Ages. The appellation decrees of 1936 still regulate it.
The listing also takes in the town of Beaune and the centre of Dijon. Chablis, the Mâconnais and the Beaujolais lie outside it. So when a day promises you UNESCO vineyards, it means the Côte d'Or.
The Côte de Nuits is the northern half of the Côte d'Or, starting just south of Dijon. Its villages sit close together, so a day here covers several of them.
The first village on the road from Dijon, and the home of Chambertin Clos de Bèze. The e-bike day pours its first and last cellars here, and the Ophorus day from Dijon starts its tastings here.
The Grand Cru route day spends an hour in the village, after its first domain tasting. It is one of the villages that keep that day on the Côte de Nuits.
The village of the Romanée-Conti vineyard. Two private days taste at a winery here, and the private route day from Beaune adds the Hautes Côtes de Nuits above it.
The town that gives the Côte its name. The e-bike day stops here for an hour before it rides back to Gevrey-Chambertin.
Monks from the nearby Abbey of Cîteaux built the Clos de Vougeot in the 12th century as a wine farm. A Renaissance château followed in the 16th century. Inside you see the medieval vat-house and presses, the Cistercian cellar and the old kitchens.
The château no longer makes wine. The Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin bought it in 1945 and restored it as the seat of its order. Its wall still closes almost 51 hectares of vines in one piece.
You can see it in four ways. Each block below keeps the same labels, so you can compare them.
Inclusions: the château at your own pace, every day of the year. Best for: a visit by car or bike, on a day with no tour. Book: at the ticket office; the admission price is shown on the day.
Inclusions: a guide at 11:30 am or 3:30 pm, EUR 15, or EUR 7 for ages 8 to 16 and students. Best for: the history of the order and the presses. Book: by reservation, and ask about heat: the château shortens tours in extreme heat.
Inclusions: the entry, then tastings at wineries in Vosne-Romanée and beyond. Best for: the château and the cellars in one day, with a driver. Book: the private route day from Beaune ($1,170 for up to four) or the À La Française private day.
Inclusions: ten minutes outside the château, with no entry. Best for: a first look while the day spends its hours in the domains. Book: the Grand Cru route day, or the e-bike day, which rides past.
| Season | Château open | Ticket office closes | English guided tour |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 April to 31 October | 9:30 am–6 pm, every day | 5:30 pm | 11:30 am and 3:30 pm |
| 1 November to 31 March | 10 am–5 pm, every day | 4:30 pm | 11:30 am and 3:30 pm |
Two private days put the Clos de Vougeot's entry in the fare, then drive you on to taste in Vosne-Romanée.
Romanée-Conti is a Grand Cru vineyard in Vosne-Romanée. You see it the way most visitors do: from the edge of the vines. The e-bike day from Dijon rides there, and the Bourgogne Gold private day names it on its route with Clos de Bèze.
None of these days includes a visit inside the domaine, so do not expect a tasting of its wine. Take the photograph from the road, and taste the village's other wines at the winery your day books.
South of Nuits-Saint-Georges, the Côte de Beaune runs past Beaune to Santenay and Maranges. This is where the white-wine days go.
The hill of Corton stands at the northern end of the Côte de Beaune. The Authentica day from Dijon stops for the view over it, and the private route day from Beaune tastes in the village.
Two villages just south of Beaune. The 2CV half day drives you through both in a Citroën 2CV, and the private day from Paris tastes at the Château de Pommard.
Meursault is the heart of the white-wine days. The small-group day from Dijon spends two hours in its cellars, and the 2CV half day pours its five wines here.
The southern end of the white-wine villages. The small-group day from Dijon spends two hours at a Puligny-Montrachet winery, and the 10-cru Authentica private day drives on to Chassagne-Montrachet.
Chablis is the northern outpost of the region, about two hours from Paris by road and far from the Côte. Its wines are white, from Chardonnay. The days from Paris spend their hours here, with tastings at Domaine Jean-Marc Brocard and Domaine Bersan.
The shared day from Paris ends at the Caves Bailly Lapierre with a 30-minute Crémant tasting. Crémant de Bourgogne is the region's sparkling wine, about 8% of what it makes. The two Paris days are on Burgundy tours from Paris.
Burgundy grows mostly two grapes. The BIVB's figures, by vineyard area and by what the region makes, are below.
| Grape | Share of the vineyard area |
|---|---|
| Chardonnay | 57% |
| Pinot Noir | 34% |
| Aligoté | 6% |
| Gamay, Sauvignon, César and others | 3% |
| Wine | Share of production |
|---|---|
| White | 62% |
| Red | 29% |
| Crémant de Bourgogne | 8% |
| Rosé | 1% |
Both grapes grow along the whole Côte. The tours split the other way: the Côte de Nuits days are built around the red Grand Cru villages, and the Côte de Beaune days around the great whites. If you prefer white wine, a Côte de Beaune day or Chablis suits you best.
The figures come from the BIVB, the Climats from UNESCO, and the château from the Clos de Vougeot's own pages. The stops come from each tour's booking page. Verify before you travel.
Fourteen wines from the Beaune tourist office at 9:30 am, Village and Premier Cru up to one Grand Cru, with the Route des Grands Crus between tastings. Lunch is extra.
From $333 per person
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Your own guide-driver from a Beaune-area hotel: the Clos de Vougeot with entry, wineries in Vosne-Romanée and Aloxe-Corton, and the Hautes Côtes de Nuits.
From $1,170 per group, up to 4
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A private day from your hotel in Dijon or Beaune at 9 am: the Clos de Vougeot with entry, eight wines at two family estates, and lunch in Beaune at your cost.
From $687 per person
Check AvailabilityNext: see the towns on the Burgundy region page, check the seasons on when to visit, or compare every tour on Burgundy Tours.