The growers' co-operative of the Hautes-Côtes, with a free tasting room overlooking the vines on the edge of Beaune.
€290for a half-day wine tour starting here, up to 4 guests
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Nuiton-Beaunoy is the name under which the Cave des Hautes-Côtes, a co-operative of about 80 growers, sells its wines. Its tasting room stands on the route de Pommard, about 2 kilometres from the centre of Beaune, with a wide view over the vineyards. Tasting is free and needs no booking.
In the tasting room you can try a wide range of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, from regional appellations to villages, premiers crus and grands crus. Among them is the co-operative's monopole, the Gevrey-Chambertin premier cru Clos du Chapitre. Groups of 15 to 25 can book a commented tasting of five wines with a wine adviser in a private room. With two partners, the co-operative also runs a three-hour e-scooter ride through the climats from Beaune to Meursault, ending with a tasting of five wines (€50, from age 16, 18 for the tasting).
The co-operative began in 1957 as the cave of the Rosé d'Orches, a village in the hills behind the Côte. In 1961 the appellations Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits and Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune were recognised, and in 1964 the cave widened its area and became the Cave des Hautes-Côtes. It built its new winery at the entrance to Beaune in 1968 and opened its first shop in 1977. A last merger, with the Caves de Vervelles in 2001, made it the only growers' co-operative in the Côte-d'Or.
Today about 80 growers farm some 350 hectares in 1,472 plots. About 85 percent lie in the Hautes-Côtes, the higher country of woods, meadows and vines behind the Côte, and the rest in the Côte de Beaune and the Côte de Nuits. The co-operative sells around 3 million bottles a year under the Nuiton-Beaunoy name.
Checked on on beaune-tourisme.fr.
Allow 30 minutes to an hour. The tasting room is open every day from 9:30 to 12:30 and from 13:30 to 18:30, except on Sundays from January to March, and closes on 25 December, 1 January and 1 May. Entry and tasting are free, and there is a large car park. It lies on the road from Beaune to Pommard, so it fits easily into a drive along the Côte de Beaune.
What to combine with Nuiton-Beaunoy – Cave des Hautes-Côtes on the same day, nearest first.
For the visit, allow 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Did you know? Most of the co-operative's vines grow not on the famous slope but in the Hautes-Côtes behind it, where, it says, lighter soils and the absence of fog let the bunches breathe.
Sources
Half-day wine tour from Beaune: €290 for the car, up to 4 guests
