Pernand-Vergelesses, village in the Côte de Beaune district of Burgundy’s Côte d’Or producing red and white wines. The former, made from Pinot Noir, are somewhat angular in style and do not always appear fully ripe as Pernand is set back from the main sweep of the Côte and many of its vineyards have a westerly, even north western exposition, which can retard ripening.
Pernand chose to suffix the name of its best red wine vineyard, east-facing Les Vergelesses, which it shares with neighbouring Savigny-lès-Beaune, although the most sought-after wines are the whites on the Pernand side of the hill of Corton (see aloxe-corton). Seventeen of the 72 ha/178 acres entitled to the grand cru appellation Corton-Charlemagne lie within Pernand-Vergelesses. White Pernand wines have a hard but attractive flinty character which develops well during bottle ageing. As it ages, bourgogne aligoté from this area is said to resemble white Pernand-Vergelesses; and white Pernand to approach the quality of Corton-Charlemagne.
