--- title: "Auxey-Duresses: Wine Tasting in a Quiet Valley" description: "A working wine village with 9 premier crus, supple reds from the Bourdon hill and bright whites. 15 min from Beaune by private driver." url: https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/auxey-duresses lang: en updated: 2026-09-29 generated: 2026-10-08 image: https://www.cote-privee.com/og/villages/auxey-duresses.png --- # Auxey-Duresses > Auxey-Duresses: a quiet valley village of supple reds and bright whites, set between wooded hills west of Meursault. Auxey-Duresses is a wine village (Côte de Beaune), 15 min by road (9 km) from Beaune. Red and white wines · 9 premiers crus · Private driver from Beaune: €65 one way for the whole car, up to 4 guests. Auxey-Duresses follows a narrow valley that climbs from Meursault towards Saint-Romain and La Rochepot. It is a true working wine village, with two old churches, stone washhouses and nine premier cru vineyards. Red wine is the local pride, but the whites are well worth tasting too. ## Key facts - Type: Wine village - Region: Côte de Beaune - Location: 8 km south-west of Beaune · Côte de Beaune - Coordinates: 46.9866, 4.7477 - 15 min from Beaune - Red and white wines - 9 premiers crus - Appellations: Auxey-Duresses - Grapes: Pinot Noir, Chardonnay - Name since: 1924 - From Beaune: ≈ 15 min · 9 km - €290 for a [half-day wine tour](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/half-day) from Beaune, up to 4 guests ## Getting there - [Private driver from Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/private-driver): 15 min by road (9 km), €65 one way for the whole car. Coming by train or plane? [Transfers from stations and airports](https://www.cote-privee.com/transfers) Estimates per vehicle for up to 4 guests, tolls included. Your price is confirmed when you book. ## History People settled this valley very early. On Mont Mélian, the hill between Auxey and Meursault, lie traces of a large prehistoric enclosure that was later occupied by the Gauls. The Burgundy wine board counts Auxey among the region's sanctuaries of Celtic and Gallo-Roman winegrowing. In the Middle Ages the village depended on the great abbey of Cluny, and its valley was busy with mills as well as vines. The small Romanesque church in the hamlet of Petit-Auxey, with its 12th-century bell tower and doorway, belongs to that monastic past. A decree of 10 July 1924 allowed the village to add the name of its best-known vineyard, Les Duresses. The Auxey-Duresses appellation followed on 31 July 1937, and today nine of its climats are classified premier cru. In the village centre stands the church of Saint-Martin, built in the 14th century, whose tufa bell tower is listed as a historic monument. Auxey has twice hosted the Saint-Vincent tournante, the winter wine festival that moves between Burgundy villages each January, in 1966 and 1996. ## The wines Nature draws a clear line here between red and white. Red leads, with about 87 hectares of Pinot Noir against 50 of Chardonnay in 2022, per the Burgundy wine board. Most premier cru vines are red, on the stony marl and limestone of the Bourdon hill, facing east to south. The Mont Mélian side, whose fine soils announce Meursault, suits white wine. Reds are bright ruby, with small black fruit and floral notes. Whites are pale straw, with fresh almond and apple. **Well-known premiers crus (9 premiers crus)**: Les Duresses, Climat du Val, Clos du Val, Les Grands Champs, Reugne, Les Bréterins ## What to see ### Church of Saint-Martin A 14th-century church whose tufa bell tower is listed as a historic monument. Inside hangs a 16th-century painted triptych telling the life of the Virgin, protected as a historic object. ### Petit-Auxey In this small hamlet west of the village stands a Romanesque church whose bell tower and doorway date from the 12th century, a reminder of the monks who once farmed the valley. ### Village washhouses Old stone washhouses survive in Auxey and in its hamlet of Petit-Auxey. They recall a time when village life gathered around the water, and make pleasant short stops. ## Good to know Allow about an hour for a short walk and a tasting. Auxey lies on the road to Saint-Romain and the castle of La Rochepot, so it pairs naturally with both, or with neighbouring Meursault and Monthelie. ## Did you know? Auxey took the name of its Les Duresses vineyard only in 1924. Before that the commune had been plain Auxey, and for a time after 1801 it was called Auxey-le-Grand. ## Around Auxey-Duresses What to combine with Auxey-Duresses on the same day, nearest first. ### Villages - [Monthélie](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/monthelie) (2 km away): A small hillside village between Volnay and Meursault, once compared to a village in Tuscany. - [Meursault](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/meursault) (2 km away): The great white-wine village of the Côte de Beaune, with a glazed-tile town hall and 19 premiers crus. - [Volnay](https://www.cote-privee.com/villages/volnay) (3 km away): A hillside village high above the vines, loved for the finesse of its red wines. ### Châteaux - [Château de Melin](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-melin) (3 km away): A Renaissance manor in a wooded park, now an organic wine estate with guest rooms. - [Château de Monthelie](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-monthelie) (2 km away): An 18th-century château with a glazed tile roof, home of the Suremain family's wine estate. - [Château fort de Meursault (Hôtel de ville)](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-fort-de-meursault-hotel-de-ville), 2 km away: Meursault's town hall, a 14th-century castle keep under a bright glazed tile roof. - [Château de Cîteaux](https://www.cote-privee.com/chateaux/chateau-de-citeaux) (2 km away): A 19th-century château in Meursault, built over the cellars of the monks of Cîteaux. ### Things to do - [Ropiteau Frères](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/ropiteau-freres-meursault) (2 km away): A Meursault wine house founded in 1848, ageing its wines in old cellars that once belonged to the Hospices de Beaune. - [Domaine Bernard Delagrange et Fils](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/domaine-bernard-delagrange-meursault) (2 km away): A father-and-son Meursault estate in the old house of a 15th-century ducal physician, over two levels of cellars. - [Domaine Jean Monnier & Fils](https://www.cote-privee.com/things-to-do/domaine-jean-monnier-et-fils-meursault) (2 km away): A Meursault family estate with roots in 1696 and a tasting cellar on the town hall square. ### Restaurants - [Auprès du Clocher](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/aupres-du-clocher-pommard) (4 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): Pommard's newly starred table, where the butcher's son cooks beside the church - [Ed.Em](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/ed-em-chassagne-montrachet) (6 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): A starred couple's table in the heart of Montrachet country, with 600 wines to match - [Le Carmin](https://www.cote-privee.com/restaurants/le-carmin-beaune) (8 km away · 1 MICHELIN star): Christophe Quéant's poised, product-first cooking in a Renaissance house on place Carnot ### Events - **Saturday 24 – Sunday 25 October 2026 (Confirmed by the organiser)** · [Coup d’œil, Coup de cœur à Auxey-Duresses](https://www.cote-privee.com/events/coup-doeil-coup-de-coeur-auxey-duresses): Auxey-Duresses opens its cellars on the fourth weekend of October, as the vines turn gold. (Wine festival · Auxey-Duresses) ### Guides about Auxey-Duresses - [Harvest and truffle season in Burgundy](https://www.cote-privee.com/guides/burgundy-harvest-and-truffle-season) - [Côte de Nuits vs Côte de Beaune](https://www.cote-privee.com/guides/cote-de-nuits-vs-cote-de-beaune) - [Tasting on a Sunday or a Monday](https://www.cote-privee.com/guides/wine-tasting-burgundy-sunday-monday) ## Questions about Auxey-Duresses ### How far is Auxey-Duresses from Beaune? Auxey-Duresses is about 15 min from Beaune by road (9 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €65 for the whole car, up to 4 guests. ### What wines is Auxey-Duresses known for? Auxey-Duresses makes mostly red wines under these appellations: Auxey-Duresses. It has 9 premiers crus. Its best-known premiers crus include Les Duresses, Climat du Val, Clos du Val. ### Can you taste wine in Auxey-Duresses? Yes. Many domaines in Auxey-Duresses receive visitors, usually by appointment. On a wine tour your driver plans the route and helps you book the tastings, which you pay directly to the domaines. ### Can a private driver take us to Auxey-Duresses? Yes. Your driver collects you in Beaune or at your hotel in an electric Polestar 2 (up to 4 guests), waits while you visit and plans the rest of the day with you. The driver speaks English, French, Mandarin Chinese and Arabic. → [Half-day wine tour, €290](https://www.cote-privee.com/wine-tours/half-day) ## Book - [Book a driver here](https://www.cote-privee.com/book?service=wine-tour&option=half&place=village:auxey): Half-day wine tour from Beaune: €290 for the car, up to 4 guests ## Sources - - - --- Canonical page: