CORTON-CHARLEMAGNE GRAND CRU

Burgundy’s soil is clay-limestone based, yet it varies considerably from village to village. This renders the winemaker’s role all the more important when selecting the grapes.

This GrandCru appellation exists only in white and covers a surface area of 71.87 ha of which 48.57 ha of vines are located in Aloxe-Corton, 17.25 ha in Pernand-Vergelesses and 6.5 ha in Ladoix-Serrigny. The emperor Charlemagne gave these vines to the collegiate church of Saint-Adoche in Saulieu in 775 to whom they belonged for the next thousand years. With a name that still celebrates the memory of the emperor, Corton-Charlemagne includes the Charlemagne and En Charlemagne vineyards as well as few neighbouring single vineyards The Grand Cru AOC dates back to 31 July 1937.

100% Chardonnay.

Vinified in oak barrels under the action natural grape yeasts, our Corton Charlemagne is then raised for 18 months on fine lees. He will pass then several weeks in stainless steel tanks in order to best combine the different barrels before being bottled.

When young, Corton-Charlemagne is pale gold in colour with green highlights. As it ages, the colour shifts towards yellow or amber. The bouquet, delicate in the extreme, features buttery notes of baked apple, citrus fruits, pineapple, lime, bracken, juniper, cinnamon, and flint. Honeyed notes are frequently present. Both the glass and the palate are filled with its powerful exhalations. Corton- Charlemagne is an astonishing demonstration of what the Chardonnay grape is capable of in terms of richness, power, concentration, distinction and balance. Rarely do we see such a perfect synthesis between grape variety and terroir.

The manner in which Corton-Charlemagne achieves a perfect balance in the mouth between its remarkable acidity and its rounded opulence demands refined and delicate dishes which nonetheless possess real aromatic power. The natural candidates would include foie gras, whose bitterness would be supported by the wine’s forceful minerality, as well as more conventional classics such as good-quality crustaceans (lobster, crawfish, crab) whose strong but delicate flesh harmonizes with the wine in a spectacular fashion. Poultry or veal in white sauces would also do the wine justice, as would blue cheeses.

Between 12° and 14°C.

25 years or more.