Famed for producing some of the world's most expensive white wines (most of which bear the name Montrachet in some form or other), the district is also responsible for a handful of Burgundy's top red wines, particularly those from the premier cru vineyards of Pommard and the grand cru Corton. As is the case for most of Burgundy, white wines are made from Chardonnay, the reds from Pinot Noir.
A narrow strip of land less than 5 kilometers (3 miles) wide, and running for 25km (16 miles) in a north-easterly direction, the Côte de Beaune's main vineyard area is almost precisely the same size and shape as its northern counterpart, the Côte de Nuits. Together these two make up the wider Côte d'Or, a region named after and characterized by the Côte d'Or limestone escarpment which forms its backbone.
