Climate  

The Côte Chalonnaise enjoys a position midway between the Beaunois and Mâconnais growing areas.

The continental climatic influence over this zone offers hot summers and dry autumns. These conditions tend to perfectly accommodate Burgundy's varietals thanks to a truly harmonious blend of climate, soil, sunny exposure and local winemaking tradition.

Topography also plays a strong role in that the vines spread out over the best exposed hillsides at elevations varying between 250 and 370 meters, ideal for winegrowing and at the same time providing for a most scenic rolling landscape.

   

  Soil  

A natural extension of the Côte d'Or department, with a continuation of the same primary geological formations, the Côte Chalonnaise constitutes one of the most attractive winegrowing regions in all of Burgundy. The originality, diversity and quality of the wines produced here contribute to the region's ever-expanding reputation and notoriety.

The soils are typically of a clayey limestone stemming from a limestone bedrock that dates back to the Jurassic Period or even further.

The best-suited parcels for growing Chardonnay display soil with a higher clay content, generated from marls or marly limestone. Pinot Noir grapes, on the other hand, have been planted on browner soils showing fewer clay deposits.

To the southwest of the village of Bissey, a small geological zone features a granite-enriched soil, which has been touted for a long time as being responsible for the outstanding quality of the Bourgogne Aligoté produced here.