Burgundy

Burgundy runs on a different logic than Bordeaux: smaller plots, more producers, and a hierarchy of vineyard classifications that collectors spend years learning — which makes a knowledgeable private introduction worth more here than almost anywhere else in French wine country.

Getting There

A direct TGV from Paris reaches Dijon, Burgundy’s regional capital, in about one hour forty minutes, making it an easy day trip or short overnight from the capital. From Dijon, the wine villages along the Côte d’Or are a short drive south, with most of the well-known appellations within 30–45 minutes of the city.

The Route des Grands Crus

The Route des Grands Crus runs roughly 60 kilometers from Dijon down through the Côte d’Or, and is really two distinct stretches. The Côte de Nuits, in the north, is Pinot Noir country and home to the grand cru villages most collectors know by name — Gevrey-Chambertin, Vosne-Romanée, Chambolle-Musigny among them. The Côte de Beaune, further south, produces both reds and Burgundy’s finest whites, centered on Beaune itself — the region’s wine capital and home to the Hospices de Beaune, whose Gothic-tiled roofline is one of Burgundy’s most recognizable images.

Practical Notes

Burgundy’s estates are smaller and more spread out than Bordeaux’s grand châteaux, and many are family-run with genuinely limited visiting slots — appointments matter more here and should be arranged well ahead, especially around the September–October harvest. Dijon’s own old town, built around the Palace of the Dukes of Burgundy, is compact and walkable, and worth a half day even for visitors focused mainly on the vineyards.

If you’re planning a Burgundy trip, tell us whether you’re drawn to the Côte de Nuits reds or the Côte de Beaune whites and we’ll build the estate visits around it.