> Grands Crus Wine Road - “Route des Grands Crus”
From Dijon all the way to the wine village of Santenay the “Route des Grands Crus” takes the visitor through the vineyards of the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune. This 60-kilometre itinerary is punctuated by no fewer than 38 picturesque localities (villages or little towns).
The Grands Crus Wine Road is a thin strip of land stretching from north to south, facing east and south-east, only a few hundred yards wide and situated at an altitude of between 300 and 400 metres. The road is indicated by panels with a brown background showing a white bunch of grapes (Route Touristique des Grands Crus de Bourgogne).
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The Wine Road is divided into two sections, the Côte de Nuits in the north and the Côte de Beaune in the South. The northern part* stretching from Dijon to Corgoloin runs parallel to the former RN74 trunk road. The Côte de Nuits, land of the great red wines, includes 24 of Burgundy’s 33 grands crus (Chambertin, Clos de Vougeot, Romanée-Conti…).
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After Corgoloin, the road continues along the foot of Côte de Beaune until the vineyards of Maranges. Here, in the land where Chardonnay reigns supreme, are to be found the greatest dry white wines in the world such as Corton Charlemagne, le Montrachet…
Along the Grands Crus Wine Road you will discover many sites and monuments, either prestigious and famous or modest but well worth a visit. Chenôve is home to the old 15th century winepresses of the Burgundian Dukes (also known as lords of the best wine in Christendom). In Vougeot, the castle still tells the history of wine making by the Cistercian monks whose abbey is only a stone’s throw away. Heading south, church towers or castles and their varnished-tile roofs announce the splendid roofs of the Hôtel Dieu. Once past Beaune, admire the castles of Pommard, Meursault and Chassagne Montrachet (prestigious examples of “Clos”, i.e. a plot enclosed on at least three sides by a wall).
> Useful information:
Itinerary suggestion for the Grands Crus Wine Road (follow these roads):
- D122, From Dijon to Vougeot,
- D974, From Vougeot to Beaune,
- D973, From Beaune to Pommard
- D973 then D23, From Pommard to Meursault,
- D113 A, from Meursault to Santenay.
For more information about the Grands Crus Wine Road, please click here and download your brochure (published by the Burgundy Regional Tourist Board) (2,73 Mo). |
