When it comes to the Grand Crus, keep in mind that buying a Grand Cru is not a guarantee of quality, but rather a guarantee of POTENTIAL quality.
Aging of Grand Crus is a matter of personal preference, but I like to go at least 10 years for both white and red. From certain producers of high quality vintages, the reds should age for 15 years. This is a hobby of delayed gratification!
A must read: The Assassin the Vineyard
There are 24 Grand Crus in the Cote de Nuits. I’ve added links to further articles on key vineyards. The ones with the * are the most important to learn a little bit about.
Cote de Nuits
1. Bonnes Mares *
2. Chambertin *
3. Chambertin-Clos de Bèze
4. Chapelle-Chambertin
5. Charmes-Chambertin
6. Clos de la Roche * (overview PDF of several Grand Crus here)
7. Clos de Tart (monopole)
8. Clos de Vougeot *
9. Clos des Lambrays
10. Clos Saint-Denis *
11. Echezeaux *
12. La Grande Rue (monopole)
13. Grands Echezeaux
14. Griotte-Chambertin
15. Latricières-Chambertin
16. Mazis-Chambertin
17. Mazoyères-Chambertin
18. Musigny *
19. Richebourg *
20. La Romanée (monopole, and the smallest AOC in France … 2 acres!) *
21. Romanée Conti (monopole, owned by Domaine Romanee Conti) *
Here is a great article on Vinous about tasting Romanée Conti back to 1953
22. Romanée Saint-Vivant *
23. Ruchottes-Chambertin
24. La Tache (monopole) *
Wikipedia: List of the Burgundy Grand Crus