Named after the town that is at the epicenter of the Cote de Beaune, this AOC covers 420 hectares, the vines planted on low slopes directly to the west of the town and spreading out to the north and south of Beaune’s suburbs. The soil here gives the wines of Beaune AOC a unique character. To the north, the wines are fuller and more powerful with a richer tannic structure, and to the south the wines are softer, with an elegance and charm that appears almost soft, yet retains a capacity to age well. The slopes are steep and the escarpment of Comblanchien begins its journey underground, the vines top and bottom slope losing their wind protection, and the soil changes too, becoming heavier, with more clay and pebbles. In some areas the soil changes from red (iron rich) marl, to yellow and then to grey Argovian marl dependent on the emerging subsoil.