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Aloxe-Corton Premier Cru

Aloxe-Corton Premier Cru wines are those made under the strictest conditions of the Aloxe-Corton appellation, from grapes exclusively grown within officially classified premier cru vineyard sites. Aloxe-Corton's vineyards were classified in 1982 by the INAO, the French government organisation responsible for the country's appellation system.

About one-third of the vineyard land within the Aloxe-Corton commune boundaries has been granted premier cru status, resulting in the creation of 15 climats. Given that more than half of the commune had already been marked as grand cru, this is a respectable proportion. The climat names, which were based on the lieu-dit names already in existence, may be added to that of the appellation on premier cru wine labels, provided that the wine is made entirely from grapes from the named climat.

The premier cru vineyards of Aloxe-Corton are located in a thin strip to the west and east of the village itself, on the lower slopes of the Corton hill. They soon give way to village appellation land, as the slopes rapidly level off into the plains below. The tiny village of Ladoix, just over a mile away to the east, is also covered by the appellation's catchment area. Six of the Aloxe-Corton Premier Cru climats are actually within Ladoix. Two of these are divided in two by the commune boundary, meaning that the appellation has either 13 or 15 climats, depending on one's point of view.

Aloxe-Corton itself is a small village at the northern end of the Côte de Beaune, on the plains just north of Beaune. The Corton part of the commune's name is generally what grabs the attention of Burgundy drinkers; it is a reference to the hill of Corton – the Côte de Beaune's only grand cru red appellation.

The Aloxe-Corton appellation covers the production of both red and white wines, made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay respectively, although in reality only a tiny percentage are white. In general, Aloxe-Corton Premier Cru wines attract a higher price than those of equivalent quality from nearby communes, because of the association with the famous Corton reds.

Aloxe-Corton Premier Cru (pronounced “Alosse”) vineyards encircle the prestigious Grands Crus of Corton and Corton-Charlemagne. The list of Aloxe-Corton Premier Cru climats is as follows:

- Clos des Maréchaudes
- Clos du Chapitre
- La Coutière
- La Maréchaude
- La Toppe au Vert
- Les Chaillots
- Les Fournières
- Les Guérets
- Les Maréchaudes
- Les Moutottes
- Les Paulands
- Les Petites Folières
- Les Valozières
- Les Vercots

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