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.
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer
Domaine de Montille was developed by Hubert de Montille (1930-2014), a prominent Dijon lawyer, who inherited 2.5 hectares of vineyards in Volnay in 1947. Over the years he acquired further parcels in Volnay, Pommard and Puligny-Montrachet Les Caillerets. Today the business is run by his son Étienne who has extended the domaine by purchases of vineyards in Beaune, Corton and the Côte de Nuits, including some marvellous Vosne-Romanée Les Malconsorts. The vineyards are farmed biodynamically and the red wines are increasingly vinified with whole bunches. Following the splendid successes here in 2015, this vintage provides a contrast in style, but with reasons to buy that are just as compelling. Volumes are down in certain appellations and winemaking has been tempered to release more of the vintage’s purity of fruit and definition of terroir. Use of whole bunches for the reds continues, but not by rote, with proportions being adjusted according to each cuvée’s requirements.
Bottle
£150.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl 3cs
Magnum
£315.00
Magnum 3 x 150cl 4cs
Bottle
£150.00
Bottle 6 x 75cl 3cs
Bottle 3 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle 3 x 75cl 2cs
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.
Magnum 3 x 150cl 1cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Bottle 12 x 75cl 2cs
Whilst this is as full and powerful as you’d expect from a Corton, it is the precision of the apple, pear and citrus fruit, and the steely minerality that really impressed me. Very expressive and vibrant with huge energy, it is a remarkable Grand Cru white.
Martyn Rolph, Private Account Manager
Striking and displaying a sparkling, stony character on the nose, there is plenty of energy here. It is medium bodied on the palate, with ripe fruit underpinned by a classical stony feel. Once again, this is a very fine example of Corton-Charlemagne.
Jasper Morris MW,Berrys' Burgundy Director
Bottle 6 x 75cl 1cs
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer
In January 2002 Maison Camille Giroud was bought by an American consortium led by banker Joe Wender and winery-owner Ann Colgin, and a new chapter began. David Croix was installed as the winemaker/ technical director and tasked with a major revamping of the winemaking facilities and especially replacement and renewal of the old barrels to make wines in a much purer, more modern style. The company also owns 1.2 hectares of vineyards in and around Beaune. The 2016 vintage was a collaborative effort between the outgoing David Croix and his replacement, Carel Voorhuis, formerly of Domaine d’Ardhuy. The transition is a smooth one, with Carel’s gentle touch following on seamlessly from David’s elegant style. Carel described the 2016 vintage as lighter than 2015, with more elegance and better balance. It is clear he has a preference for 2016, highlighting the expressive, aromatic characteristics of the wines and calling them “ethereal”. He explained that it was important to avoid over-ripeness by picking in good time, and emphasised the value of gentle extraction to prevent obtaining hard tannins.
Bottle 6 x 75cl 6cs
Since our visit last year, Patrick’s dream of an appellation exclusively for generic wines from the Côte d’Or has been realised and the label of the estate’s estimable Cuvée Oligocène proudly announces its new status. For 2017, Patrick’s daughter Marion explained, they didn’t need to keep too much of the lees, as the musts were already rich and they preferred to use bâtonnage for complexity. Harvesting began on 28th August and Marion feels there is a purer expression of terroir this year than last.
Bottle 6 x 75cl 3cs
Bottle 3 x 75cl 35cs
Magnum 1 x 150cl 3cs
Jeroboam 1 x 300cl 1cs
Methusel. 1 x 600cl 1cs
Jasper Morris, MW - Wine Buyer
Patrick chose to begin early around 26 September in order to pick while the grapes were still healthy, the relatively high acidity encouraged him to stir the lees a little more than usual and the wines were racked into tank just before the new harvest, apart from the Corton-Charlemagne which is back in barrel.