Château d'Aloxe Corton by 2CV in autumn — ©Chateau Aloxe Corton Automne|Kaptura

CORTON AND CORTON CHARLEMAGNE

Appellation Corton et Corton-Charlemagne

Corton-Charlemagne white wines share an exceptional terroir.

Three villages, Aloxe-Corton, Ladoix- Serrigny and Pernand-Vergelesses, make up the Montagne de Corton, a gently sloping vineyard at the northern tip of the Côte de Beaune. At the heart of this vast natural amphitheater, two grands crus, the red Corton and the white Corton-Charlemagne, share an exceptional terroir.

Corton: The Emperors' Mountain

Bordering the Route des Grands Crus, the Montagne de Corton is an emblematic site of the Côte de Beaune. On these rounded slopes, over 150 hectares of vines are divided into a myriad of appellations, including two Grands Crus. Corton red and Corton Charlemagne white occupy the mid-slope, leaving the small fir-tree wood that crowns the mountain as a border. This ancient vineyard owes its name to two emperors, Curtis d’Othon and Charlemagne. Legend has it that the Carolingian emperor had the vineyard planted with Chardonnay so as not to stain his beard.

Le Corton

Burgundy is never more magical than when it brings together, side by side, on the same hill, two grand crus that express the best of the terroir in two different grape varieties. The Corton occupies the majority of the mountain with 90 hectares, it is the only red grand cru of the Côte de Beaune, but you can however meet a white Corton, a rarity. With such a vast surface area, Corton has a whole palette of expressions. However, “Le Roi des Bons-Vivants” as Camille Rodier, owner of Clos de Vougeot, called it, is first and foremost a powerful, opulent wine. A velvety robe fills the glass with a bouquet of red fruits, violets that evolves towards notes of undergrowth, animal, pepper. This athlete works wonders with braised beef, game in sauce, intense cheeses.

Le Corton Charlemagne

The Corton Charlemagne also goes well with high-class dishes: foie gras, the delicate flesh of lobster or a crab work wonders with this champion. On tasting, its color is pale gold tending towards amber with age, on the nose, we’re seduced by the delicacy of its buttery, baked apple and gunflint notes. This great wine, with its undeniable aromatic power, is a long-distance runner and, like the Corton, can be aged for 25 or 30 years in the cellar.