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Côte de Beaune · Section through Volnay

Volnay: from the plateau to the plain

One walk down the slope, west to east, with the stone cut open beneath it. Tap a layer to read it.

Swipe the plate sideways to see the whole section.

Seen from above, on the same scale: the section is cut along the line A–A′. Premiers and grands crus in coloured pencil; the vineyards we pour from in ochre. Vineyards: INAO, Délimitation parcellaire des AOC viticoles (2026), Licence Ouverte 2.0.

Schematic. The line runs from the back slope above Monthélie east-south-east through Clos des Chênes and Caillerets to the plain. Mitans, Le Village and Volnay village lie 0.5 to 0.7 km north of it; Santenots, the Meursault Caillerets and Clos des Champs Fulliot 0.2 to 1.4 km south-west. Ground from AWS terrain data along the line; layer boundaries follow the general Côte de Beaune sequence and are to be checked against the BRGM 1:50,000 sheet for Beaune. Soil depths from Lafarge and Brenna Quigley.

Key to the ground

7 layers, youngest at the top

    Single vineyards we pour from. Tap one on the plate.

    Why the premiers crus sit mid-slope

    1. Soil is thin, so roots reach cracked limestone quickly.
    2. The slope drains: rain runs off and through, never sits.
    3. The vines face the morning sun and catch it from early in the day.
    4. Cold air slides past at night and pools on the plain below, where spring frost bites first.

    Did you knowVolnay has no grand cru; its best ground is all premier cru.

    In the book

    Pas Mal wines on this ground

    Volnay premiers crus

    Sources: BIVB appellation sheets; Domaine Michel Lafarge vineyard notes with geologist Brenna Quigley (via Becky Wasserman); BRGM 1:50,000 geological map, sheet Beaune; AWS Terrain Tiles.