The soils of the Côte de Beaune are covered with limestone scree coming from the top of the hill, red silts deposited in the glacial era, and rocks resulting from the alteration of the underlying geological strata. Brown limestone and stony soils characterise the southern part of the Côte d'Or. At the top of slope, the soils are lean, very limestone, they enrich themselves in clay going down. There are three different hillsides: those of the Corton mountain, those of the Côte des Blancs and those of Chassagne, Santenay and Maranges.

Domaine Etienne Sauzet in Puligny-Montrachet gained its recognition under Etienne Sauzet's work. The estate is now managed by son-in-law, Gérard Boudot, who keeps the reputation of the wines at the top benchmark. Nowadays Gerard's son-in-law, benoit Riffault joined the team and they both perpetuate the tradition of elegance. Most of the vineyards are located in 1er Cru or Grand Cru appellations, giving the wines an extra weight, dept, and concentration. From Grand Crus to Village level the wines display the finesse and grace Chardonnay.