There are only a couple of hectares of village level Chardonnay vines within the wider appellation, and none which are classified within the 37.5 hectares (93 acres) of premier cru vineyards. About one-third of the vineyard land within the Aloxe-Corton commune boundaries has been granted premier cru status, resulting in the creation of 15 climats. Given that more than half of the commune had already been marked as grand cru, this is a respectable proportion. The climat names may be added to that of the appellation on premier cru wine labels, provided that the wine is made entirely from grapes from the named climat.
The premier cru vineyards of Aloxe-Corton are located in a thin strip to the west and east of the village itself, on the lower slopes of the Corton hill. They soon give way to village appellation land, as the slopes rapidly level off into the plains below. The tiny village of Ladoix, just over a mile away to the east, is also covered by the appellation's catchment area. Six of the Aloxe-Corton Premier Cru climats are actually within Ladoix. Two of these are divided in two by the commune boundary, meaning that the appellation has either 13 or 15 climats, depending on one's point of view.
Aloxe-Corton itself is a small village at the northern end of the Cote de Beaune, on the plains just north of Beaune. The Corton part of the commune's name is generally what grabs the attention of Burgundy drinkers; it is a reference to the hill of Corton – the Cote de Beaune's only grand cru red appellation.
As with the village-level wines, Aloxe-Corton Premier Cru wines attract a higher price than those of equivalent quality from nearby communes, because of the association with the famous Corton reds.