Discover the Pernand-Vergelesses appellation
and its cuvée from Hospices de Beaune

The style of Pernand-Vergelesses wines

The Pernand-Vergelesses appellation, northwest of the town of Beaune, produces red wines distinguished by their freshness and assertive character. Located at the northern end of the Côte de Beaune, the vineyards benefit from relatively high altitudes and varied, often well-ventilated, exposures. These conditions favor progressive ripening, giving rise to precise, structured wines with a beautiful natural tension. The style thus combines energy, depth and elegance in a typically Burgundian expression of pinot noir.

The color is generally a luminous ruby, sometimes slightly deeper. The nose opens with aromas of fresh red fruits such as cherry, raspberry and redcurrant, to which are added floral notes of violet. With aeration, more complex nuances of spice and dark flowers emerge.

On the palate, AOC Pernand-Vergelesses red wines have a lively, structured attack. The tannic structure is present but refined, underpinning a straightforward, well-balanced body carried by a fine freshness. This structure gives the wines a certain firmness in their youth, which gradually softens with age to give way to a silkier texture and a deeper aromatic palette.

With a few years' cellaring, Pernand red wines evolve towards notes of ripe red fruit, with hints of cocoa or light pepper. Their profile then combines finesse and complexity, while retaining a characteristic tension. Their ageing potential ranges from 5 to 10 years, depending on the vintage.

Buy a Pernand-Vergelesses wine at the Hospices de Beaune auction with Albert Bichot

In this appellation appreciated by wine lovers who want to think (a little) outside the box, only one cuvée is on sale at the Hospices auction: Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Cuvée Rameau Lamarosse. We offer two purchase options, from one bottle to a full barrel. You can also find our older vintages immediately available in our online store.

The terroir of Pernand-Vergelesses

The terroir of the Pernand-Vergelesses appellation is characterized by a great diversity of soils and exposures, giving its red wines a fine, racy identity. Situated at the northern end of the Côte de Beaune, the vineyards extend over well-oriented slopes, mostly facing east and southeast, offering optimal sunshine while benefiting from natural ventilation that limits excess heat. This situation favors gradual ripening of the Pinot Noir grape, which is essential for the balance between concentration and freshness.

The soils are mainly limestone marl, sometimes mixed with gravel and stony scree, providing the vines with effective drainage and moderate water stress. These characteristics limit vine vigor, concentrate the grapes and enable full expression of the fruit and minerality of the plots. The most famous areas, notably the Premier Cru climats such as Les Fichots and Les Vergelesses, have more clayey-limestone soils rich in gravel, ideal for producing wines of great depth and elegant structure.

The altitude and slope of the hillsides enhance the complexity of the wines: the higher plots bring freshness and tension, while the gentler slopes produce softer, rounder wines. This unique combination of soils, exposure and climate gives Pernand-Vergelesses reds a recognizable style: precise, elegant, well-balanced wines that can be enjoyed young, while developing complexity and depth with a few years of cellaring.

As a major player in Hospices de Beaune sales, Albert Bichot buys the Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Cuvée Rameau Lamarosse almost every year. In fact, it's a "coup de coeur" wine for many of our customers, who are loyal to this cuvée, which is always very well placed in terms of price.

The climats of Pernand-Vergelesses within the Hospices de Beaune estate

• Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Cuvée Rameau Lamarosse: Les Basses Vergelesses

Pernand-Vergelesses map

Etymology & history

The name of the Pernand-Vergelesses appellation reflects the ancient history of the commune and its wine-growing terroirs. "Pernand" appears in medieval texts in forms such as Pernantum or Pernandum, and is thought to derive from a Gallo-Roman estate name based on a Latin anthroponym, probably Paternus or Pernus, followed by the suffix -anum, designating the property of a private individual. Phonetic evolution over the centuries gave rise to the present-day form "Pernand".

According to some sources, "Vergelesses" is an ancient name for a plot of land or a climate, attested as early as the Middle Ages. It derives from the Latin or Franco-Provençal term virgultum, meaning "small wood, copse", in reference to the original vegetation of the hillsides before they were converted to vineyards. Other sources suggest an etymology describing "gelive" land, subject to the risk of frost.

Discover all the appellations of the Domaine des Hospices de Beaune

Key facts about the Pernand-Vergelesses appellation