REGIONAL FEATURE

The Hautes Côtes de Beaune are a limestone escarpment that sits as a gateway to the rolling countryside of the Morvan. It is also home to our featured couple Alexane and Felix (see LIVING THE DREAM feature), who chose to relocate here in one of the pretty villages that punctuate this beautiful landscape.

The area Côtes de Beaune includes the Hautes Côtes de Beaune has a long history dating back to prehistoric times, but the region really started to prosper under the occupation of the Romans as a centre for cattle and, most importantly, for its winegrowing.

For this visit, we are sharpening our focus on the area around the village of Change and its local town of Nolay.
Change, where our LIVING THE DREAM couple live is actually in the Saône-et-Loire region, which is department 71. However, historically it is part of Nolay and to be precise shares its postcode (department 21). It’s a great location to base your visit and from here visit many of the popular sites in the area like the wine capital of Beaune is only 12 miles away) Chateauneuf-en-Auxois, acknowledged as one of the most beautiful villages in France is a 20-mile drive and, of course, the Morvan Regional Park, a whole new experience of protected landscape is less than an hour’s drive.
Nearby Nolay is a typical Burgundian medieval town nestling in a river valley between vineyards and the limestone escarpment.
The town’s history stretches back a long way and indeed its market hall (a classified historical monument) was built over 600 years ago, around which you can still see some of the original merchants’ houses. It’s definitely a place to take your camera with new photo opportunities around every corner of its narrow pedestrian ways including half-timbered buildings and impressive religious sites such as the Church of St Martin with its 125 ft (38m) Gothic spire rising above the town.
Nolay has a real buzz to it all year round with craft exhibitions, night theatre productions, a music festival, a market and brocante fairs, there’s pretty much something to suit all ages, and of course, you can always just sit and chill, soaking up the atmosphere, people watching and generally have a good time with a glass of wine in hand.

Talking of wine! There’s a vineyard trail that leads from Santenay to Nolay (La Voie des Vignes Santenay Nolay), it’s an eight-mile route that follows an old (and disused) railway track and passes through some exceptional scenery. A perfect day out for the family either on foot or bicycle and safe for the kids too! Along the way, you’ll discover the wine-growing village of Santenay – an interesting point here is that in Santenay they accomplish a rare feat of producing red wine and white wine from the same climate and soil. The production of chardonnay is small, but the limestone soil results in a minerality and has that characteristic power found in exceptionally fine white wines,
Most of the vines grown in the local area are Pinot Noir (70%) Chardonnay (as we have already mentioned at about 25%) and Aligote (5%). Approximately sixteen hectares (40 acres) surrounding Nolay are producing the appellation Hautes Côtes de Beaune, both red and white.

However, we digress, continuing along the route you will also find other wine villages, the rolling hills of Maranges, the cliffs of Cormot, and two viaducts.
While we are talking of things to see, the nearby Cascade du Cirque du Bout du Monde is a pretty spectacular sight. It’s a waterfall (Ed: Well… except in dry periods!) that bursts out from a cave in the cliff – another one of those photo moments and a great backdrop for a picnic.
If you are feeling energetic there is the six-mile signposted hiking trail (Route du Bout du Monde) that will take you through some impressive scenery. This is a little more challenging but still one for the family, perhaps for older children as there is an overall height gain of 220m (720ft) as you walk along the cliff top.

Anyone who knows the area well may have heard (and even visited) the Château de La Rochepot, a spectacular 12th-century castle of neo-Gothic-Burgundian style, rebuilt in the 15th century and completely restored in the 19th century that sits high above the village of La Rochepot. In the past, this castle has been open to the public but for the last few years, it has remained closed as its current owner is sitting out a prison sentence! (Ed: Come on, spill the beans!). According to Wikipedia, in late 2018, the castle was seized by the French government after an investigation into an alleged money laundering scheme by Dmytro Malynovskyi. He was arrested after an investigation into corruption in which he purchased and lived in the castle after faking his own death!
The exterior of the castle is still worth a photo or two and it is only a 10 mins drive from Nolay via the D973.

There’s a lot more about what to see and do in the Beaune area in our regional pages.