Corton-Charlemagne
Grand Cru 2017
This great white Burgundy from the Côte de Beaune hails from the slopes of the Corton hill.
Origin
This Grand Cru 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 soil is clayey with marls at the upper part of the slope.
The emperor Charlemagne gave these vines to the collegiate church of Saint-Andoche 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 a few neighbouring single vineyards (the Grand Cru AOC dates back to 31 July 1937).
Viticulture
Grape variety: chardonnay
Soils: marly, rich in clay with some limestone areas.
Exposition: South.
Surface area under vine: 0,15 ha
Pruning: Guyot system
Yield: 40hL/ha
Average age of the vine: 50 years old.
Vinification
Harvest date: September the 4th 2017.
The grapes were handpicked.
At the winery: The whole bunches of grapes were gently pressed for 2½ hours. The temperature of the must was brought down to 12°C then was immediately transferred to 450L barrels with no settling to preserve a maximum of lees. Long fermentation using indigenous yeasts for added complexity and freshness.
Ageing
Maturation: aged for 18 months with no racking or stirring to bring out all of this wine’s minerality. 50% new French oak barrels.
Barrels: Oak of French origin toasted at low temperatures for a long time to impart a subtle, delicate touch of oak were used.
Bottling
Bottling: The wine was bentonite fined and very gently filtered before being bottled using gravity in March 2019.
Number of bottles: 800.
Vintage
2017 , finesse
The growing cycle was thrown off-kilter by a very cold winter, late spring frost, then optimal conditions for rapid flowering, sporadic hail, and summer drought. Harvesting began in early September in the sun, and after several lean years, the vines finally produced abundant grapes, although with significant differences in maturity between whites and reds and from one region to another, which called for strict sorting.
Ageing potential: 10 years and more.
Tasting notes
With a beautiful, slightly golden color, this wine has a very intense nose: white flowers, like the aroma of linden, intermingle with some buttered and toasted notes. The palate is rich and powerful.
