These have always been predominantly Pinot Noir reds. Recently, though, with growing international demand for Chardonnay, the town has increased its production of white wine. Nearly 300,000 bottles of white Beaune wine are now made under the commune's appellation each year, although this still represents just 20 percent of the total output. The reds for which the town is better known strike a middle ground in a wine tasting of Burgundy Pinot Noirs. They are not as rich or "masculine" as those from Pommard, immediately to the south, nor as structured as the grand cru wines from Corton, immediately to the north. The Beaune appellation has an unusually high proportion of premier cru-classified vineyards. More than 40 climats stretching in an uninterrupted belt across the commune from north to south. See left for links to indivdual Beaune Premier Cru pages. For centuries, Beaune has been intrinsically associated with Burgundy's wines. This was so much the case that, before the formalization of France's appellation system, its name was widely used as a generic title for any wine from the wider region. Since the creation of the AOC Beaune appellation in 1936, only wines from Beaune vineyards have been able to use the name.