Les Dessus-Vermots and Les Gollardes are two lovely white Village appellations in Savigny-lès-Beaune, which sit side by side at around 300 meters above sea level when one leaves the center of Savigny and climbs up towards Bouilland. These climats face south, the most favorable orientation, and benefit from the protection of the valley. The soil here is gray marl and limestone-rich “white earth”, resulting in very mineral characteristics. “From the quarries of Savigny, they used to extract blocks used in chimneys, slabs, etc.,” wrote Dr Denis Morelot (1831). “This sums up the virtues of Savigny: these wines can stand alongside the best wines in the whole of the Côte d’Or. They are firm, forthright, full of fire and bouquet, and they have the precious advantage of keeping for a long time.” (Taken from Statistique de la Vigne dans le département de la Côte-d’Or, Dijon and Paris, 1831).

Les Vermots is located alongside the Rhoin, a stream which runs off the Côte. Its name is probably a reference to the former presence of trees in the area – alders, or vernes in old French. In 1826, this climat was recorded as Les Vernots.

Les Gollardes is situated in a dry, stony area near the forest lodge known as Grand Hâ, above the area known as Les Goudelettes. The name comes from the old French golle, goule, gollot: a narrow passage in the shape of a neck, throat, or gullet. This vineyard is effectively made up of several plots that resemble a funnel. This starts at Les Goudelettes, and widens out at the top of the slope near Les Perrières (From Climats et lieux-dits des grands vignobles de Bourgogne, by Marie-Hélène Landrieu-Lussigny and Sylvain Pitiot, 2012).