Collection: Saint-Aubin

Saint-Aubin is a communal AOC in the Côte de Beaune in Bourgogne, and it is here in the French heartland that we source our wines from this very appellation. Although the name does not ring out quite as loudly as its neighbours, the vineyards lie very close by, and that makes itself felt in the glass.

The vineyards stretch across around 170 hectares on sheltered, chalky slopes right up against the Grand Cru parcels at Montrachet, near Chassagne- and Puligny-Montrachet. Saint-Aubin has no Grand Cru of its own, but roughly two thirds of production is classified as Premier Cru from about 155 hectares. That is an unusually high proportion, and it tells you something about the quality of the terroir here.

It is the white wines that are the appellation's strength. Chardonnay covers around 80 percent of the vineyards, and white wine makes up about three quarters of production. In the glass you will typically find notes of white flowers, flint and green almond. Precisely because Saint-Aubin lies somewhat in the shadow of its famous neighbours, the wines are often seen as a sensible way in if you want to experience the Côte de Beaune's white style without going all the way to the most renowned crus.

The appellation also holds red wine made from Pinot Noir, but it is Chardonnay that carries the reputation and the reach. If you want to understand what Bourgogne Chardonnay can do when it grows on chalk in a sheltered hill landscape, Saint-Aubin is an obvious place to begin.

At Copenhagen Wine we carry wines from Saint-Aubin under Frankrig and Bourgogne. The selection is narrow, but it reflects our approach: we go for origin and character rather than breadth for breadth's sake. When you sit down to enjoy a bottle, a white Saint-Aubin works well with fish, shellfish and lighter dishes, where the fresh acidity and the mineral character have room to unfold.