2013 Corton-Charlemagne, Grand Cru, Domaine Follin-Arbelet, Burgundy

2013 Corton-Charlemagne, Grand Cru, Domaine Follin-Arbelet, Burgundy

Product: 20131068472
 
2013 Corton-Charlemagne, Grand Cru, Domaine Follin-Arbelet, Burgundy

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Description

Fresh pure and clear with just a little oak, a touch of peach and banana fruit, lovely weight in the mouth, very pure and long. Dancing minerals, real intensity, this is linear and impressive. Picked relatively late but the grapes had not started to degrade. A beautiful wine.
Jasper Morris, MW - Wine Buyer

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About this WINE

Domaine Follin-Arbelet

Domaine Follin-Arbelet

Franck’s ancestors owned vineyards in Aloxe-Corton, which they sold off towards the end of the 19th century.

As a child, he spent holidays in the village, working part-time in the vineyards and, in due course, marrying a local girl, Christine. Her family had some vines – enough for Franck to set up as a vigneron in 1993, subsequently adding further vines through rental agreements. In 2017, Franck was joined at the domaine by his son, Simon.

In the vineyard
Franck favours the most simple and natural form of farming possible. The grapes are entirely destemmed, vinified in wooden vats for about two weeks. The wines are aged for 18 months in barrel, initially with 20 to 25 per cent new wood before racking into older casks after 12 months.

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Aloxe Corton

Aloxe Corton

These two Grand Cru vineyards, Corton and Corton-Charlemagne, lie astride three villages at the northern end of the Côte de Beaune: Ladoix, Aloxe-Corton and Pernand-Vergelesses. The main body of the hill of Corton faces due south, with an extended flank exposed to the east, and another facing westwards. The white wines mostly come from west and south-west expositions, along with a narrow band around the top of the hill.

The Emperor Charlemagne owned vines here in the eighth century, and legend has it that his wife insisted he planted white grapes so as not to spill red wine down his beard and clothes. Corton-Charlemagne is always white and there is also a theoretical Grand Cru appellation called, simply, Charlemagne, which is never used. Corton is almost entirely red but there are a few white wines too.

Ladoix is a rarely-seen appellation, as most wine here are sold as Côte de Beaune Villages. Aloxe-Corton is better-known, but as with Ladoix the best vineyards have been designated as Corton and Corton-Charlemagne.

There are also 25 lieux-dits that may be used on wine labels, together with Corton: Les Bressandes, Les Chaumes, Clos des Meix, Clos du Roi, Les Combes, Le Corton, Les Fiètres, Les Grèves, Les Manguettes, Les Maréchaudes, Le Meix Lallemand, Les Paulands, Les Perrières, Les Pougets (Pougeots), Les Renardes, La Vigne au Saint, Les Basses Mourottes, Les Carrières, Clos des Cortons Faiveley, Les Grandes Lolières, Le Rognet et Corton, La Toppe au Vert and Les Vergennes.
  • 90 hectares of village Aloxe-Corton
  • 38 hectares of Premier Cru Aloxe-Corton
  • 118 hectares of village Ladoix
  • 14 hectares of Premier Cru Ladoix
  • 72 hectares of Corton-Charlemagne. The finest from En Charlemagne (Pernand) and Le Charlemagne (Aloxe)
  • 160 hectares of Corton.  The best from Clos du Roi, Bressandes, Pougets

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Chardonnay

Chardonnay

Chardonnay is often seen as the king of white wine grapes and one of the most widely planted in the world It is suited to a wide variety of soils, though it excels in soils with a high limestone content as found in Champagne, Chablis, and the Côte D`Or.

Burgundy is Chardonnay's spiritual home and the best White Burgundies are dry, rich, honeyed wines with marvellous poise, elegance and balance. They are unquestionably the finest dry white wines in the world. Chardonnay plays a crucial role in the Champagne blend, providing structure and finesse, and is the sole grape in Blanc de Blancs.

It is quantitatively important in California and Australia, is widely planted in Chile and South Africa, and is the second most widely planted grape in New Zealand. In warm climates Chardonnay has a tendency to develop very high sugar levels during the final stages of ripening and this can occur at the expense of acidity. Late picking is a common problem and can result in blowsy and flabby wines that lack structure and definition.

Recently in the New World, we have seen a move towards more elegant, better- balanced and less oak-driven Chardonnays, and this is to be welcomed.

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