General flavor profile: The most powerful of all French Chardonnay. Expect slightly fleshier, apple-y fruit aromas: Meyer lemon, golden apple, golden pear, quince, and yellow plum. There’s also usually a fresh, earthy aroma of white button mushroom or truffle. The hundreds of years of experience the Burgundians have with new oak shows here: well-integrated, balanced aromas of cinnamon, toasted almond, and toasted bread.What’s to know: The Côte de Beaune is the Beverly Hills of white Burgundy production, and is home to some the most expensive vineyard land on Earth. The roughly 25 Kilometer strip of the Côte de Beaune produces some of the most show-stopping, intense expressions of the Chardonnay on the planet.Food pairing: Many of the best wines from the Côte de Beaune are a visceral, meditative experience that you could savor without food. However, richer fish dishes, pork, chicken and anything in a cream sauce or with fungi are highly recommended.Buying Tips: The white wines of the Côte de Beaune are the pinnacle of white Burgundy and they are not cheap. Lesser village-level wines start at $25-$30, premier cru quality typically start around $40, and a few grand crus can be found in the low $100’s but often command much higher prices.
