Corton-Charlemagne
Grand Cru 2020
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.
Pruning: Guyot system.
Average age of the vines: 40 years old.
Vinification
Harvest date: 28 September 2020.
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 barrels with no settling to preserve a maximum of lees. Long fermentation using indigenous yeasts for added complexity and freshness.
Ageing
Maturation: 18 months in 2 barrels of 228L, without racking, no stirring to accentuate the mineral character of the wine. A proportion of 100% new French oak barrels.
Barrels: French oak barrels that had been 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 2022.
Number of bottles: 608.
Vintage
Balanced and concentrated
The harvests happened back-to-front! They began with the reds ripening before the whites. The harvest was very disease-free but we had to eliminate sunburnt berries, especially in the case of the Pinot Noir vines as the Chardonnays had coped better with the heat. Quality was definitely good, but relatively low juice yields has resulted in Pinot Noirs with high colour and aromatic intensity. On the other hand, the Chardonnay vines produced adequate yields with a good balance of sugar and acidity. This optimal ripeness enabled us to harvest the red grapes in certain plots according to the ‘vendange entière’ approach, where stalks are fermented along with the grapes. 'Lots of lovely colour in the reds, with very high polyphenol content, firm tannins and excellent levels of acidity. Looks set to be a year with great cellaring potential. Summer fruit coulis notes definitely have the upper hand in this year’s vintage! The whites are nicely-balanced, but it’s too early to be more precise. Watch this space…’ Grégory Patriat.
Ageing potential: 10 years and more.
Awards
Le Nouveau Bettane + Desseauve 2023 - 91/100
Tasting notes
With its beautiful golden color, this wine reveals intense aromas of exotic fruits such as pineapple as well as lemony and subtly woody notes. The palate is powerful, while preserving elegance with a salivating finish.
