To understand the wines of Burgundy, whether talking about Chablis, the Côte de Nuits, or the Côtes de Beaune, it is necessary to understand the region's topography.
The vineyards of the Côte d'Or stretch some 50 kilometres (31 miles) from North to South. The region is divided into two parts identified by the two main cities they surround (in a way, their capitals): Nuits-Saint-Georges and Beaune.
The Côte de Nuits begins about twelve kilometres south of Dijon, more precisely in Fixin, and extends about twenty kilometres to the south of Nuits-Saint-Georges. The Côte de Beaune begins just south of there, in Corgoloin, and ends about thirty kilometres further south, in Santenay.
What Burgundians call "la Côte" is thus the narrow strip of land consisting of a succession of hills and slopes on which vines grow. The Côte's width varies from only 200 to 800 metres, and not all of its surface area is covered with vines.
The Côte de Beaune is located to the south of the Côte de Nuits.