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Nuits-Saint-Georges

The wine town that names the Côte de Nuits, with 41 premiers crus and a lively old centre.

  • Wine village
  • 22 min from Beaune
  • Red and white wines
  • 41 premiers crus

€290for a half-day wine tour from Beaune, up to 4 guests

Book a driver here 
Photo: Gregdu21, CC BY-SA 3.0

At a glance

Location 15 km north-east of Beaune · Côte de Nuits
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Appellations
Nuits-Saint-Georges
Grapes
Pinot Noir, Chardonnay
Name since
1892

Getting there

Private driver from Beaune: 22 min by road (18 km), €85 one way for the whole car.

Coming by train or plane? Transfers from stations and airports →

About Nuits-Saint-Georges

Nuits-Saint-Georges is the main town of the Côte de Nuits and a working wine town, busy with merchants and growers. It has no grand cru, but its appellation, shared with Premeaux-Prissey, counts 41 premiers crus, led by Les Saint-Georges. The compact centre, with its belfry and shops, is an easy place to stop for lunch.

The wines

Nuits-Saint-Georges is almost all red Pinot Noir, with a few white vines of Chardonnay, mostly in Premeaux. North of the town, soils come from stony silts and the alluvium of the Meuzin valley; to the south, deeper marl-limestone soils lie below slopes where the rock comes close to the surface. The reds are firm and structured, with cherry, strawberry and blackcurrant, gaining leather, truffle and game with age.

History

Nuits appears in records in the early 11th century. In 1212 Duke Eudes III granted a charter to the lower town, and ramparts followed from 1362. The belfry, begun in 1610, is still the town's symbol, and the hospital dates from 1634. When the railway arrived in 1849 the town became Nuits-sous-Beaune, to avoid confusion with another Nuits on the same line.

In 1892 the town added the name of its most celebrated vineyard, Les Saint-Georges, which the wine writer André Jullien had already placed in the first class in 1816. In 1934, during a slump in wine sales, local figures founded the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin here. The appellation followed in 1936, and since 1962 the Hospices de Nuits have held a yearly charity auction of their wines, now every March.

Well-known premiers crusLes Saint-Georges · Les Vaucrains · Les Cailles · Aux Boudots · Aux Murgers · Les Pruliers

What to see

  • The belfry

    Built in stages between 1610 and 1633, the belfry stands in the heart of the old town and is Nuits' best-known landmark. It makes a good starting point for a stroll through the centre.

  • Église Saint-Symphorien

    Built in the 13th century, this church mixes Romanesque and Gothic features and has been a listed historic monument since 1913. Its churchyard holds tombs from the 17th century.

  • Musée de Nuits-Saint-Georges

    Set in an old wine house with vaulted cellars, the town museum shows finds from the Gallo-Roman town of Les Bolards and Merovingian objects. Open May to October, with free entry.

  • Friday market

    Come on a Friday morning for the weekly local market in the town centre, a good chance to see Nuits at its liveliest and to pick up regional produce.

Tips for your visit

Nuits is the natural lunch stop on a Côte de Nuits day, about 20 minutes from Beaune. Allow an hour or two in town, and pair it with Vosne-Romanée and Vougeot just to the north.

Around here

What to combine with Nuits-Saint-Georges on the same day, nearest first.

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Guides about Nuits-Saint-Georges

Questions

Nuits-Saint-Georges is about 22 min from Beaune by road (18 km). With a private driver, the trip from Beaune starts at €85 for the whole car, up to 4 guests.

Did you know? In 1971 the Apollo 15 crew named a lunar crater St. George, a nod to Jules Verne's novel Around the Moon, in which the travellers celebrate with a fine bottle of Nuits.

Sources

Nuits-Saint-Georges with a private driver

Half-day wine tour from Beaune: €290 for the car, up to 4 guests

Book a driver here