The main vineyard area extends as a continuous viticultural strip 200 kilometres long and a few kilometres wide, with only 800 metres on the Côte de Nuits.
The continental climate features cold, harsh winters with sometimes late frosts, and warm, sunny summers, with a mild late season that favours grape ripening.
Annual rainfall averages 800–850 mm, a relatively low figure due to a foehn effect generated by the high-relief country of the Haut-Beaujolais, Haut-Mâconnais, and the Morvan to the west, which dry out the incoming Atlantic air masses.
The generally eastward-facing aspect of the slopes allows the vines to benefit from the first warmth of the morning sun and to shed overnight moisture quickly.
The geology is dominated by limestone of the Secondary era, except in the northern Beaujolais where crystalline rocks prevail; the periglacial past induced frost-shattering of the bedrock, producing the stony soils well suited to the vine.
Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.
About this boundary · approximate area
Approximate area — the union of the 371 commune(s) of the delimited area (INAO); no parcel delimitation exists for this denomination.
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