Côte d''Ormay be small in size but its influence is huge and its reputation alone canstrike terror into the heart of even the most seasoned wine professionals.Côte d''Or is located in the very heart of Burgundy and stretches for a narrow35-mile band. It’s on this terroir that some of the world’s best known winesare produced.
There aretwo main sections. Côte de Nuits, named after the village ofNuits-Saint-Georges, is a mere one mile by 12 miles but it’s home to 24 GrandCru vineyards and some of the world’s most expensive vineyard real estate. Thisis the northernmost region, starting just south of Dijon and running toCourgoloin, a few kilometres south of Nuits-Saint-Georges and it grows mainlyPinot Noir and other red grapes. It is responsible for some of the great namesof French wine, Gevrey-Chambertin, Nuits-Saint-Georges and Beaune itself. Thesecond part, the southerly Côte de Beaune, is well-known for its whites butactually grows both Chardonnay and red grapes. One of the most famous villagesin the Côte de Beaune is Pommard, known for its heavy, full-bodied reds.
It’s anintimidating terroir but Raymond Blake’s companionable Côte d''Or demystifiesit. There is hardly another wine region where knowledge of the back-story is socritical to understanding the wine, for it is impossible to understand burgundywithout reference to the place it comes from and the people who make it. In Côte d''OrBlake transports the reader to the heart of Burgundy, telling the whole storyand painting a complete picture of life there: the history, the culture, thepeople, the place, the geography and the climate.