Cote Chalonnaise

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Côte Chalonnaise wine region

The Côte Chalonnaise is a wine region with about 2400 ha of cultivated area in Saône-et-Loire in the region Burgundy in France . The Côte Chalonnaise is west of the town of Chalon-sur-Saône . It joins the Côte de Beaune at Chagny to the south and extends over 35 kilometers to Montagny-lès-Buxy , where the Mâconnais begins. The vineyards are spread over 44 municipalities, of which Bouzeron , Rully , Mercurey , Givry and Montagny have their own appellations . In addition to the aforementioned municipalities, the places Chagny, Fontaines, Jambles, Poncey, Saint-Desert and Saint-Valerin should also be mentioned. In addition, the subregional appellation "Bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise" was introduced in 1990 with 485 hectares of vineyards. Sparkling wine is marketed in respectable quantities under the appellation Crémant de Bourgogne , which is mainly produced in Rully, where the most important sparkling wine producers are based. Even many winemakers on the Côte d'Or have their Crémant made here.

Soil and climate

Geologically, the Côte Chalonnaise consists of two different areas. In the north, the strata fall east to the Saône plain; south of the Saint-Désert rupture zone, they slope west to the low mountain range of the Morvan . The subsoil consists of Jura and Triassic formations , broken up by limestone rocks, sandstone and marl . The relief is shaped by flat hills due to numerous faults. Eastern slopes predominate in the northern part, western orientations in the south.

Rully AOC red wine

The climate is predominantly continental, but a Mediterranean influence is felt all the more the further south one moves. The up to 900 m high Morvan protects the vineyards from damp westerly winds.

Grape varieties and wines

About 75% of the production of the Côte Chalonnaise is red wine. The Pinot Noir predominates in the vineyards . In addition to Pinot Liébault and Gamay grown. The Pinot Noir finds particularly good conditions on the brown limestone soils around Givry and Mercurey. White wine is mainly made from Chardonnay . It thrives particularly well on the marl soils of Rully in the north and Montagny in the south. The higher, steep slopes of Bouzeron, on the other hand, offer ideal conditions for the Aligoté grape. Furthermore, Pinot Blanc , Pinot Gris and Melon de Bourgogne grown.

Appellations and locations

Some of the wines produced on the Côte Chalonnaise are marketed under the regional appellation Bourgogne . Red wine in which the Gamay grape was used is only approved for the Bourgogne Passetoutgrains appellation .

Burgundy Cote Chalonnaise

Appellation Vineyards Premier Cru Annual production Grape varieties
Burgundy
Cote Chalonnaise		 485 ha    20,464 hl red
  7,350 hl white		 Pinot Noir
Chardonnay
Bouzeron   53 ha     2,933 hl white Aligoté
Rully 335 ha   81 ha 11,527 hl white
  5,935 hl red 		Chardonnay
Pinot Noir
Mercurey 645 ha 185 ha 24,334 hl red
  3,673 hl white 		Pinot Noir
Chardonnay
Givry 376 ha   66 ha 10,709 hl red
  2,107 hl white 		Pinot Noir
Chardonnay
Montagny 290 ha 255 ha 17,165 hl white Chardonnay

With the aim of a stronger regional differentiation of the appellation "Bourgogne", almost 500 hectares of better locations on the Côte Chalonnaise were selected, whose wines have been allowed to carry the designation "Bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise" since 1990. The requirements for the vines and ripeness of the grapes are the same as for the regional appellation. For red wine, Pinot Noir, Pinot Liébault and Pinot Beurot (dark variant of Pinot Gris) are permitted, white wine may only be made from Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc or Pinot Gris. The basic yield is 60 hl / ha for white wine and 55 hl / ha for red wine. The natural alcohol content must be 10 ° for red and 10.5 ° for white wine.

Communal appellations

With Bouzeron , Rully , Mercurey , Givry and Montagny , the Côte Chalonnaise has five communal appellations. The appellation Montagny applies exclusively to white wine, while red wine clearly predominates in Givry and Mercurey. The maximum yield is lower here, the minimum must weight higher than with the regional appellation. A specialty is Bouzeron, whose wine can only be made from the Aligoté grape.

Premier Crus

In contrast to the Côte d'Or, there are no Grand Crus on the Côte Chalonnaise . The best locations of the communal appellations (except Bouzeron) are allowed to use the designation Premier Cru . The required natural alcohol content is even higher than for the communal appellation. 11 ° for red wines and 11.5 ° for white wines are required.

The most important Premiers Crus include: Champs Cloux, Les Cloux (Rully), Clos Saint-Jacques (Chagny), Clos du Roy, Clos l'Evêque, Champs Martin, Clos Voyens, Clos des Grands Voyens (Mercurey), Servoisine, Cellier aux Moines (Givry), Le Vieux Château, Montcuchot and Les Coères (Montagny).

history

The region around the town of Chalon , later Chalon-sur-Saône, was already a wine-growing area and wine trading center in Roman times. Excavations have found thousands of amphorae in the Saône . King Heinrich IV (1533–1610) is said to have been a great friend of the wines from Givry . The port of Chalon-sur-Saône played an important role in the wine trade.

The name "Côte Chalonnaise" was only used for the wines of this part of Burgundy at the beginning of the 20th century. Until the introduction of the “Bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise” appellation in 1990, the majority of production was accounted for by the regional “Bourgogne” appellation.

useful information

  • The House of Wine, La Maison des Vins de la Côte Chalonnaise , can be found at Promenade Sainte-Marie, F-71100 Chalon-sur-Saône.
  • The Wine Brotherhood Brotherhood of Vignerons de la Chanteflûte organizes twice a year a tasting of wines from around Mercurey that Chanteflûtage . Wines awarded a prize may bear numbered labels with the note chanteflûté .
  • A wine fair, the foire des vins, takes place in Chagny every year in mid-August and lasts for several days.

literature