The Côte de Nuits is a narrow strip of Burgundy vineyards running south from Dijon to Corgoloin. Its wine is mostly red pinot noir, and its Grands Crus include Chambertin, Clos de Vougeot and Clos de Tart.
The wine
The Côte de Nuits is red wine country. The Côte de Nuits and the Hautes-Côtes mainly produce red wine from pinot noir, and this grape makes most of Burgundy's Grands Crus. White wine from chardonnay and some aligoté is rarer here.
The vines grow on a hillside strip about 20 km long between Dijon and Corgoloin, and in places only 200 m wide.
Grands Crus here include Chambertin, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze, Clos de la Roche, Clos de Tart and Clos de Vougeot, among others. Several are medieval clos, or walled vineyards: Clos de Bèze in Gevrey-Chambertin, Clos de Tart in Morey-Saint-Denis, Clos de Vougeot, and Clos de Saint-Vivant in Vosne-Romanée.
The Château du Clos de Vougeot stands on the Route des Grands Crus. Monks of the Abbey of Cîteaux built it from the 12th century. It no longer produces wine, and it is now the seat of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin.
Visiting
Base yourself in Gevrey-Chambertin or Nuits-Saint-Georges. Both have a tourist office and a TER station, and Vougeot-Gilly-lès-Cîteaux has a station too.
Getting here
From Paris, take the TGV from Gare de Lyon to Dijon, then a TER on the Dijon–Mâcon line. The fastest journey to Nuits-Saint-Georges takes 2 hours 19 minutes with one change at Dijon, and the TER leg is about 18 minutes. Journey times vary by day.
Buses run on line 113 (Dijon–Nuits-Saint-Georges–Beaune) and line 114 (Dijon–Gevrey-Chambertin–Saint-Philibert).
Estate visits
Expect to book ahead. Bernard Rion in Vosne-Romanée asks you to reserve the tasting formula you want, and tastings run Monday to Saturday only. Most formulas are for two people or more.
Formulas there start at €18 ($19) per person for the discovery tasting, which lasts 40 minutes and covers 5 wines. Others cost €32 ($35), €50 ($54), €70 ($76) for the vineyard tour and €100 ($108) for a private visit.
The tourist offices are at 1 rue Gaston Roupnel in Gevrey-Chambertin (+33 3 80 34 38 40) and 3 rue Sonoys in Nuits-Saint-Georges (+33 3 80 62 11 17).
If you are tasting, spit, and nominate a designated driver for the day.
Château du Clos de Vougeot
The château is open daily. Hours are 9:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. from April 1 to October 31, 2026, and 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. from November 1 to December 31, 2026. It is closed on December 24, 25 and 31 and on January 1.
Adult tickets cost €12 ($13) or €13 ($14), and the child rate is €5 ($5). The self-guided tour uses a leaflet in French, English and German. A guided tour costs €2 ($2) per person extra and goes by reservation, subject to availability. In high season, English departures are at 11:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m.
The château may shorten or limit visits when it hosts a reception, and it can close temporarily for events. Phone a tourist office before you plan a day around it.
