sipping wine

コート・シャロネーズ　 Côte Chalonnaise

red and white wine-producing region in the Saône-et-Loire département of burgundy between the côte d'or and Mâconnais

The Côte Chalonnaise takes its name from the town of Chalon-sur-Saône, which had been an important celtic trading centre in Ancient gaul.

As well as generic bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise, mostly red from the Pinot Noir grape, there are five village appellations:
Mercurey, which stands apart in both quality and price, produces mostly Pinot Noir with small quantities of white wine;
Givry the same;
Montagny is exclusively a white wine appellation growing the Chardonnay grape;
Rully offers both red and white wines and is a centre for the sparkling wine industry in a small way;
while Bouzeron uniquely has its own appellation exclusively for the Aligoté grape.

Soil
Although the soils in the Côte Chalonnaise are similar to those of the Côte d'Or, being based on limestone with a complex admixture of other elements, the vineyards are more scattered since there is no regular escarpment to provide continuity of suitable slopes.

Viticulture
Viticultural practices are broadly similar to those in the Côte d'Or. Vinification is sometimes carried out in barrels, although only the best producers use any new oak. Bottling normally takes place in the summer before the new vintage.

Maximum yields for Mercurey are the same as those for village wines in the Côte d'Or, whereas the other appellations of the Côte Chalonnaise may produce a little more. Although cheerfully fruity while young, few wines from this region have enough body to age well.

Co-operative
The Côte Chalonnaise is well served by co-operatives such as the Cave de Buxy, such négociants as Antonin Rodet and Faiveley, and growers such as Stéphane Aladame, Dureuil-Janthial, François Lumpp, Michel Juillot, and de Villaine.

Bouzeron -- village in the Côte chalonnaise famous for its bourgogne aligoté, which has had its own appellation, Bourgogne Aligoté de Bouzeron, since 1979, promoted to the simple appellation Bouzeron in 1997. Just 52 ha/128 acres produced wine in 2012.

Rully -- rambling village in Burgundy's côte chalonnaise providing about 70% white wine. The wines are attractive early and rarely age well, being grown on light and sandy soil. Rully is also a good source of sparkling crémant de Bourgogne. Nineteen vineyards in the village, one-sixth of the total, are designated premiers crus, with Grésigny, Rabourcé, and Les Cloux being the most frequently seen.

Mercurey -- most important village in the Côte chalonnaise district of Burgundy. While most of the production is in red wines made from Pinot Noir, a small quantity of unusually scented white wine from Chardonnay is also made. With 650 ha/1,600 acres under vine, Mercurey produces almost as much wine as the other principal Côte Chalonnaise appellations Givry, Rully, and Montagny combined. The appellation, including the commune of St-Martin-sous-Montaigu, includes 32 premier cru vineyards making up over 20% of the total.

The red wines tend to be deeper in colour, fuller in body, more capable of ageing, and half as expensive again as those of the neighbouring villages. Maximum yields for Mercurey are the same as those for village wines in the côte d'or, unlike the other appellations of the Côte Chalonnaise.

Givry -- famous as the preferred wine of King Henri IV (perhaps because it was the birthplace of his mistress Gabrielle d'Estrées), produces mostly red wine in the Côte chalonnaise district of Burgundy. White wine constitutes only a seventh of total production, but is often particularly interesting with a soft bouquet reminiscent of liquorice. The reds have more structure and ability to age than those of neighbouring rully, but less depth than Mercurey. About half the vineyard area is designated premier cru, but the vineyards which most merit the higher rank are those on the hillside between Clos Salomon and the Cellier aux Moines.

Montagny -- the appellation for white burgundy produced in the communes of Montagny-lès-Buxy, Jully-lès-Buxy, Buxy, and St-Vallerin in the Côte chalonnaise. The wines have a little more body and more acidity than other whites from this region. Previously, all vineyards could be designated premier cru on condition that the wine had an alcoholic strength of 11.5%. Now Montagny has been brought into line with other appellations, though a high proportion of vineyards have been classified as premier cru. Much of the production passes through the excellent co-operative founded in 1929 at Buxy, which boasts the motto 'with the good wines of Buxy everyone sings and everyone laughs'.