Hautes Côtes de Nuits: the plateau above the villages
8 bottles, from €13.90 to €24.00, from €17.90 per bottleThe Hautes Côtes de Nuits is the plateau overlooking the Côte de Nuits, 100 to 200 metres higher. Same département, same Pinot Noir, and in many cases the same winemaking families, but grapes that ripen later and lighter wines. The price difference, on the other hand, is anything but light.
Seven bottles here, three estates: Bonnardot, Thevenot Le Brun and Domaine Dubois. Five are sold individually, from €17.90 to €24.00, and the median of the selection is €19.90. The Clos du Vignon 2019, with two thirds of the cuvée aged nine months in oak barrels, opens the section at €17.90.
Domaine Bonnardot - Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Coup de Foudre Rouge 2024
A generous Pinot to drink young, all fruit and roundness.
Thevenot Le Brun - Hautes Côtes Nuits blanc "Clos du Vignon" 2019
This Chardonnay is a subtle wine which fully expresses the aromas of white fruits, sweet almond and caramel.
Domaine Bonnardot - Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Blanc "Les Frangines" 2024
A high-altitude Chardonnay, lively in fruit, only lightly touched by oak.
Domaine Dubois - Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Rouge 2024
Cherry, blackcurrant and forest floor: a high-altitude Pinot Noir with a silky texture.
Domaine Edmond Monnot - Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune Blanc 2023
A Hautes-Côtes Chardonnay that puts freshness before oak.
Domaine Dubois - Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Blanc 2023
Pear and apple on a lively palate: Hautes-Côtes Chardonnay with no frills.
Domaine Bonnardot - Hautes Côtes de nuits Rosé 2023
Pinot Noir rosé, raspberry and redcurrant, tightened by a fine minerality.
Altitude: what it really changes
A vineyard planted 100 to 200 metres higher does not produce the same wine, even with the same grape variety and winemaker. The table sets out the four factors that separate the plateau from the slope, and what they give once the bottle is open. The last row explains why the price follows the same pattern.
| The lever | On the plateau | In the glass | An example here |
|---|---|---|---|
| Altitude From 100 to 200 metres above the slope | Lower average temperatures, cool nights, a longer ripening cycle | Preserved acidity, moderate alcohol, a wine that stays taut through to the finish | Bonnardot Les Frangines white 2024, €19.90 |
| Harvest date Later harvests than further down | The grapes take longer to ripen; picking starts after the villages on the slope | Crunchy rather than cooked fruit: raspberry, redcurrant, blackberry | Bonnardot Coup de Foudre rouge 2025, €19.90 |
| Exposure South-south-east at Clos du Vignon | The best plots seek out the morning sun to offset the cool surroundings | Full ripeness despite the altitude, clean aromas, integrated oak | Thevenot Le Brun blanc Clos du Vignon 2019, €17.90 |
| Ground Marl and limestone on the slope of the Clos du Vignon | Free-draining, meagre soil that limits the vine's vigour | Straight, mineral whites, with no heaviness or excess roundness | Domaine Dubois blanc 2022, €24.00 |
| Status of the appellationRegional appellation, with no hierarchy of crus | No village or premier cru name to pay for on the label | The winemaker's work counts for more than the appellation line | Five wines sold individually, from €17.90 to €24.00 |
None of these levers makes a wine better or worse by nature: they make it different. A plateau Pinot Noir has less alcohol, less weight and drinks earlier than a hillside Pinot Noir.
Where to go next
The Hautes Côtes often serve as a way in: you taste Burgundian Pinot Noir and Chardonnay for the price of an everyday bottle, then move down onto the slope. Here are the six most useful directions from this page.
High-altitude Chardonnay
Whites from the plateau keep a lively acidity because the grapes ripen late. Three cuvées here, from the Clos du Vignon at €17.90 to Domaine Dubois at €24.00.
3 whites in the selectionLight Pinot Noir
A plateau red weighs less than a village wine from the slope and is served cool. It works with roast poultry as well as a charcuterie board.
2 reds sold individuallyGo down to the slope
The Côte de Nuits is the strip of vines just below, home to the great names. Same grape variety, a different price level and a different depth.
15 winesAll of Burgundy
The full section, from Chablis to the Mâconnais, whites and reds together. Useful for comparing what a plateau is worth against a village.
125 winesDubois Estate
Two 2022 cuvées in this collection, a white and a red, both at €24.00. They are the top of the Hautes Côtes selection.
Collection in preparationPairing with soft cheese
A taut Chardonnay and a low-tannin Pinot Noir get on better with a creamy cheese than a structured red does. This section brings together the bottles that work with this pairing.
346 wines
Pairings that hold up at the table
A light Pinot Noir and a high-altitude Chardonnay cover a large share of weekday meals, as long as they are not served too warm. The table lists the five bottles available individually, with the dish that suits them and the serving temperature.
| The bottle | What it calls for at the table | Serving | The pairing section |
|---|---|---|---|
| Thevenot Le Brun blanc Clos du Vignon 2019€17.90 | White fish, quenelle, poultry in cream sauce | 11 to 12 °C | White fish |
| Bonnardot Les Frangines white 2024€19.90 | Oysters, prawns, fresh goat's cheese | 10 to 11 °C | Shellfish |
| Bonnardot Coup de Foudre rouge 2025€19.90 | Charcuterie, aperitif board, young tomme | 14 °C, no decanting | Appetizer |
| Domaine Dubois rouge 2022€24.00 | Lamb, duck, pan-fried mushrooms | 15–16 °C, decant for thirty minutes | Lamb |
| Domaine Dubois blanc 2022€24.00 | Brie, Coulommiers, vegetable gratin | 11 to 12 °C | Soft cheese |
The temperatures given are for the glass, not the cellar. A bottle taken out at 16 °C gains two or three degrees in the hand after twenty minutes, which is enough to flatten the fruit of a light red.
You don't drink the village name
The Hautes Côtes are often presented as cut-price Burgundy, the fallback when the budget no longer stretches. The reality is simpler: the plateau and the slope share the same département, the same Pinot Noir, the same Chardonnay and often the same winemaker. What changes is the altitude, which makes a lighter wine, and the appellation line, which sets the price.
Look at what a €17.90 bottle pays for here. The Clos du Vignon is a plot in Marey les Fussey that borders the former abbey of Lieu Dieu and was already planted in the 12th century. The Chardonnay section is over forty years old, catches the sun from early morning thanks to its south-south-east aspect, and two thirds of the cuvée spends nine months in oak barrels. That level of precision is rarely found at this price.
In return, you have to accept what the altitude takes away. These reds have neither the substance nor the ageing potential of the great names on the slope, and nobody should buy them hoping to open them in fifteen years. Drink them within three or four years, serve them cool, and judge them for what they are: honest Burgundy for the price of a weekday wine.
Three pointers before choosing
Vintage matters more than elsewhere. At altitude, a cool year gives very taut wines and a warm year riper ones. The 2024 and 2025 wines in the selection are fruit-driven; the Domaine Dubois 2022 already has a few years in bottle.
Serve the reds cool. Fourteen to sixteen degrees, never room temperature. A light Pinot Noir served too warm loses its fruit and leaves the alcohol to the fore.
Five bottles out of seven are sold individually. The Thevenot Le Brun 2019 red and the Bonnardot 2022 rosé are not available as single bottles for the time being, so check the format before confirming your basket.
The Wine Wanderer Team
What we are asked most often
Where are the Hautes Côtes de Nuits?
It is the plateau that stretches behind and above the Côte de Nuits, 100 to 200 metres higher. The Thevenot Le Brun cuvées on this page come from the villages of Marey les Fussey and Villers la Faye. It is the same département and the same grape varieties as the slope below.
How does it differ from a Côte de Nuits wine?
The altitude changes the climate: it is cooler, the grapes ripen more slowly and the harvest comes later. The resulting wines are lighter, fresher and less concentrated than those from the slope. The trade-off is financial, since a regional appellation does not charge for a village name.
Which grape varieties are found here?
Pinot Noir for the reds and the rosé, Chardonnay for the whites, as everywhere in Burgundy. The Clos du Vignon plot in Marey les Fussey is in fact planted with both varieties. The Chardonnay section is over forty years old.
Why are these bottles less expensive?
Because Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits is a regional appellation, with no hierarchy of villages or crus. Land there is less sought-after than on the strip of slope just below, and the later ripening makes it a wine for immediate pleasure rather than long ageing. Here, the selection ranges from €17.90 to €24.00 per bottle.
Which bottle should I choose to discover the appellation?
For a white, the Thevenot Le Brun Clos du Vignon 2019 at €17.90 gives a good idea of what altitude brings to Chardonnay, with discreet oak. For a red, the Bonnardot Coup de Foudre 2025 at €19.90 plays on fruit and is ready to drink now. Both are served cool.
Do these wines keep for a long time?
These are not wines for long ageing, and they do not claim to be. Allow three to four years for recent vintages, a little more for barrel-aged whites. The Domaine Dubois 2022 has already spent a few years in bottle and can be drunk without waiting.
At what temperature should they be served?
Whites at 10–12 °C, reds at 14–16 °C. A light Pinot Noir served at room temperature loses its fruit and pushes the alcohol forward. In summer, ten minutes somewhere cool before serving is enough to rescue a red that is too warm.
Are there any premiers crus in the Hautes Côtes de Nuits?
No, the appellation is regional and has neither a village level nor a cru classification. The names of lieux-dits may appear on the label, such as Clos du Vignon or Les Frangines, but these are plot names and not an official classification. Differences in quality therefore come down to the estates.
How many whites and reds are in this selection?
Of the seven bottles, three are white, three are red and one is rosé. The three estates represented are Bonnardot with three cuvées, and Thevenot Le Brun and Domaine Dubois with two each. They all come from a single appellation.
Are all bottles sold individually?
No, five of the seven are, from €17.90 to €24.00. The Thevenot Le Brun 2019 red and the Bonnardot 2022 rosé are not currently available as single bottles. The available format is shown on each product page.