Auxey-Duresses
A quiet valley village of supple reds and bright whites, set between wooded hills west of Meursault.
- Wine village
- 15 min from Beaune
- Red and white wines
- 9 premiers crus
€290for a half-day wine tour from Beaune, up to 4 guests
At a glance
- Appellations
- Auxey-Duresses
- Grapes
- Pinot Noir, Chardonnay
- Name since
- 1924
Getting there
Private driver from Beaune: 15 min by road (9 km), €65 one way for the whole car.
Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →
About Auxey-Duresses
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.
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.
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.
Well-known premiers crusLes 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.
Tips for your visit
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.
Around here
What to combine with Auxey-Duresses on the same day, nearest first.
Guides about Auxey-Duresses
Questions
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.
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.
Sources
Auxey-Duresses with a private driver
Half-day wine tour from Beaune: €290 for the car, up to 4 guests