Côte de Nuits-Villages is a communal appellation (AOC) in Côte de Nuits, the northern part of Bourgogne in France. It was created in 1964 and replaced the earlier designation "Vins fins de la Côte de Nuits" from 1937. Today it brings together five communes at either end of Côte de Nuits: Fixin and Brochon to the north, Premeaux-Prissey, Comblanchien and Corgoloin to the south.
It is first and foremost an appellation for red wine made from Pinot Noir, and this grape covers by far the majority of the total area of around 395 hectares. A small part of production is white wine made from Chardonnay, but the red bottles are what define the place. This is the classic Burgundian Pinot Noir, shaped by the geographical and climatic conditions of Côte de Nuits.
As a "Villages" appellation, Côte de Nuits-Villages sits below the named villages as well as Premier Cru and Grand Cru in Bourgogne's hierarchy. That gives the wines a more accessible price range, and they form a fine bridge between the regional Bourgogne wines and the more expensive wines from the named villages. For you who would like to experience Pinot Noir from Côte de Nuits without going all the way up the pyramid, it is an obvious place to start.
The name can, incidentally, be a little confusing. Even though the appellation is called "Villages", it does not cover all of Côte de Nuits, but precisely the five communes in the north and south that do not have their own prestigious village appellation. That is part of the charm: here you find wines with an address in one of the world's most famous wine districts, often in a more everyday form. If you want to understand Bourgogne a little better, Côte de Nuits-Villages is a good entry point for tasting the difference between the many levels in the region.