Corton-Charlemagne
Two specific vineyards, En Charlemagne and Le Charlemagne, make up half of this appellation, while white grapes grown in seven others may also be sold as Corton-Charlemagne. As a result there can be a wide divergence in style between a south-facing location such as Pougets, which needs picking at the start of the harvest, and the western slopes in Pernand-Vergelesses which might be picked weeks later.
Learn more about Corton-Charlemagne
There are two specific Charlemagne vineyards, En Charlemagne and Le Charlemagne, making up half the Corton-Charlemagne appellation, while white grapes grown in seven other vineyards (see list below) may also be sold as Corton-Charlemagne. As a result there can be a wide divergence in style between a south-facing location such as Pougets, which needs picking right at the start of the harvest, and the western slopes in Pernand-Vergelesses which might be picked several weeks later. The underlying similarity though comes from the minerality of the soil.
En Charlemagne lies at the border with Aloxe-Corton. The hillside faces west and fine, racy white wines can be made, but the Grand Cru appellation has been extended right up to the village of Pernand itself, by which time the exposition is north-west and the valley has become noticeably more enclosed. The final sector was only promoted in 1966, and probably should not have been.
Le Charlemagne is the absolute heartland of the appellation, facing south-west, thus avoiding the risk of over-ripeness which can afflict the vines exposed due south. If I had Corton-Charlemagne vines here I would be tempted to let the world know by labelling the wine as Corton-Charlemagne, Le Charlemagne.
Two producers to my knowledge also have some Pinot Noir planted here – Follin-Arbelet and Bonneau du Martray. Both make attractive wines but neither, to my mind, justifies Grand Cru status for red wine, lacking the extra dimensions of flavour one hopes for at the highest level. This is not the producers’ fault, but a reflection of the terroir.
Prices:
Bottle
£110.00
Bottle 12 x 75cl5cs
Bottle
£110.00
Bottle 12 x 75cl18cs
This year we have asked Sylvain to blend his two vineyards, Le Corton and En Charlemagne, as we found this made a more exciting and complete wine than the two components apart. The blend shows beautiful fresh fruit with a lovely touch of coconut. Fresh and attractive behind, with a very agreeable and very persistent finish.
Bottle
£110.00
Bottle
£115.00
Étienne de Montille began picking whites on 10th and reds on 13th September, relatively early. Despite the hail (worst in Pommard than Beaune, Volnay less) yields were slightly improved compared to 2013. The fruit was clean with small berries, and beautiful clusters, so they were able to continue with their usual programme of whole-bunch vinification in most instances. The details are given for each wine. They will be long lived wines.
Bottle
£115.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl2cs
Jasper Morris, MW - Wine Buyer
Harvest began during the last week in September and finished just before the storm. There was less whole bunch vinification for the wines affected by hail, but Volnay Taillepieds, Pommard Rugiens, Corton Clos du Roi and the wines from the Côte de Nuits were all predominantly vinified with their stems.
Bottle
£115.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl1cs
Showing a fabulous light green tint in the glass, this wine has a fresh and stylish nose, with some depth to it. Lovely weight shines through on the palate, with the fruit sitting on a proper substratum of stones, all in excellent balance. This is a very distinguished Corton-Charlemagne.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Director
Etienne de Montille thinks he has made brilliant 2011s and we are inclined to agree with him. They have freshness, balance, low alcohol, good acidity, excellent fruit and wonderful tannin integration. Picking began on 27th August and continued through to the 9th September as individual vineyards ripened. The fruit has attractively ripe flavours while rarely getting beyond 12.5% alcohol and Etienne chose to include slightly fewer stems than in recent vintages, except for the top Cuvées. Certain wines are available in magnum and double magnum formats, please contact us if they are of interest to you.
Jeroboam
£495.00
Jeroboam 1 x 300cl1cs
Bottle 12 x 75cl1cs
Bottle 12 x 75cl1cs
Bottle 12 x 75cl1cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl1cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl1cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl1cs
Corton Charlemagne was perhaps the most constantly impressive vineyard in the whole of the Cote d’Or, in my opinion, in 2010. The best of the best was Vougeraie’s offering which explodes from the glass with mingled aromas of hazelnut, cream, peach and hints of mustard seed followed by a rich mouthfeel with apricots, zesty citrus and great length.
There is just a little touch of toast on the nose, before the fruit comes bounding along. Very concentrated, powerful and full of energy, this has a chiselled purity as well as exceptional concentration of fruit.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Director
Two recent trends which have been continued here by winemaker Pierre Vincent are a slight reduction in the amount of new oak, which now mostly comes from the local forest of Cîteaux, and a slight increase in the use of stems during vinification. The latter is subtly judged though, as there is very rarely any outright feel of the stems in the bouquet or on the palate. 2010 is a tiny crop here, averaging out at 24 hl/ha across the cellar but the wines are magically concentrated.
Bottle 6 x 75cl1cs
Jasper Morris MW, BBR Buying Director
The old order changeth slowly at Maison Louis Jadot. Veteran winemaker Jacques Lardière is still very much in charge, but his eventual successor Frédéric is starting to play a more prominent role. Don’t expect a revolution, but a little evolution is doubtless possible. The acidity of 2010 very much suits the Jadot white wine style, while their fullish extraction of Pinot Noir has worked notably well in several red cuvées – such as the Volnay, Clos de la Barre which we have selected for the first time this year. Where the wines come from one of the various Jadot domaines we supply the relevant information in brackets.
Bottle 6 x 75cl1cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl1cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl1cs
Bottle 12 x 75cl1cs
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director
As far as supply is concerned it’s a topsy turvy position in 2012. Overall, Ben has made plenty of wine but some cuvées are missing this year. The best volumes are with the Chassagne-Montrachet Premiers Crus, which are always a strong point chez Benjamin. From a standing start in 2007 Benjamin has made truly exciting progress, and has grown his business a little more quickly than expected as great opportunities have come his way. Yet each year he still doesn’t seem to have quite enough wine to satisfy demand. Wines marked † are bottled under stelvin screwcap closures.
Bottle 6 x 75cl1cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl1cs
Magnum 3 x 150cl1cs
(Fergus Stewart - Berrys Fine Wine Department - 30-Jan-2013)
A solid, powerful wine in 2009, this may not yet show the detail or the fragrance that will come with time but already evidences remarkable body and concentration of fruit. The domaine’s principal wine (alongside a small production of red Corton), it is clear that this has been lovingly crafted and, when ready, will no doubt take up its crown as one of the most magnificent white wines of the vintage.
(Jasper Morris MW - Berrys Burgundy Buyer)
Bottle 6 x 75cl1cs
Fergus Stewart, Private Account Manager
The fruit of this exceptional Corton is tightly wound on the palate but has too much flesh to be called lean. With some gun flint notes, a touch of spice, excellent body and length, it should develop really well. All is in proportion here. Bravo!
Jasper Morris MW, Berrys' Burgundy Director
Patrick began the harvest on 23rd August, evidently an exceptionally early date, but he notes that the wines taste as if picked a month later. They are very expressive of terroir differences, as exemplified by the contrasting Clos du Cromin and Tillets cuvées. There are few growers as skilled in the cellar as Patrick is, and it shows in the quality of this fine range of 2011s.
Jasper Morris MW, Berrys' Burgundy Director Jacques Lardière, a veteran of 40 vintages, has been joined by Frédéric Barnier who has rapidly developed a detailed knowledge of all the Jadot vineyards, as well as playing a major role in the cellar alongside Jacques. This year the reds have had a slightly shorter vatting time than usual which gives them a notable delicacy of touch. The whites have an excellent balancing acidity as Jadot have retained much of the malic acid this year. Almost all the Jadot wines we offer can be considered as domaine bottled, from one or other of their holdings.
Bottle 6 x 75cl1cs
Bottle 12 x 75cl1cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl4cs
Jasper Morris, MW - Wine Buyer
Sylvain began to pick his 2013s on 30th September. Some whites have been in bottle since early July, and some reds may also be bottled a little earlier than usual. Sylvain doesn't see a long elevage this year as he wants to avoid the whites becoming too fat. The reds have 10 to 20% whole bunch fermentation.