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As you approach Beaune from the East, one sight that gets the heart racing for any Burgundy lover is the first glance of the hill of Corton. This was the case three weeks ago, as I yabbered excitedly to my travelling companions on the drive from the Jura to Burgundy and the famous slope with its forested “mop-top” became recognisable amongst the slowly rising cap-rock slopes.
The hill itself is nearly completely encircled by vineyards with only a slice to the North-East near Magny-les-Millers free of vine. From this point the vines wrap around to the South through Ladoix-Serrigny and into Aloxe-Corton itself before continuing around the compass dial to Pernand-Vergelesses in the North.
It is Grand Cru central here and until the mid-nineteenth century it produced only red wine before it was discovered that Chardonnay, on the upper slopes sweeping around to Pernand-Vergelesses, could be outstanding. I am of course referring to the famous white wines of Corton-Charlemagne.
The Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru weighs in at 71.88 hectares. The vineyards En Charlemagne and Le Charlemagne are the heavy-hitters here and make up half of the commune, but there are also another seven vineyards whose white grapes are permitted to be labelled under the famous appellation.
Both Chardonnay & Pinot Noir can be planted here, labelled Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru and Corton Grand Cru respectively, but this side of the commanding hill, it is Chardonnay that shines the brightest.
En Charlemagne wraps around at the border of Aloxe-Corton and the best wines from this vineyard seem to come from here. In 1966, En Charlemagne was granted a 10 ha expansion up the valley towards Pernand-Vergelesses, seen as a dubious decision by some due to the less favourable North-West aspect.
Le Charlemagne on the other hand is the appellation’s crown jewel. South-West facing, perfectly positioned, sloping down to the start of the valley before the vineyards of Les Fichots and Ile des Vergelesses take over in the appellation of Pernand-Vergelesses.
The slope here is fairly steep by Burgundian standards with a limestone base covered by white marls and a precious layer of mixed topsoil that, because of the nature of the slope, easily washes away during heavy rain. One of the reasons there are many protective walls erected by producers within the appellation.
A stroll through the vineyards of Corton-Charlemagne during my recent visit showed that disease pressure in the region is quite high. The weather was humid and many of the leaves were showing the tell-tale “oil-stain”-like splodges of mildew. Throughout the region there was manic spray activity with tractors attempting to stop the spread of the disease. At this early stage, yields in 2012 look to be down and the growers will no doubt be hoping for fine weather and breezes to clean up any problems later in the season.
For many, Bonneau du Martray is the star in the appellation and I would have to agree. The original property covered 24 ha, but over the years plots were sold off and today the estate covers 11.09 hectares, of which 9.5 ha is planted to Chardonnay for their Corton-Charlemagne with the remainder planted with Pinot Noir on the lower, more fertile soils for their Corton.
The average age of the domains vines is 45 years of age, and after much study into the soils, Bonneau du Martray now farm their vineyards according to biodynamic principles. The 16 different parcels of Chardonnay are all vinified separately before spending one year in oak – typically around 30% new – before seeing out the remainder of their gestation in stainless steel before bottling.
A recent tasting of wines from the domaine confirmed their pedigree – the 2009, while embryonic and yet to shed its baby fat, shows great potential. Awash with green apple, pear and yellow-fruits along with delightful floral hints and subtle oak influence. There is texture and extract here as you would expect from 2009 but this particular wine shows great potential for longevity in the context of the vintage.
Next up, the slightly more classically structured trio of 2006, 2007 and 2008. The 2007, while certainly a lovely wine seemed to have a slightly shrill note to its acidity – a touch of green bean and the effect of the acidity just catching on the back palate detracted from what was initially a very seductive wine.
The 2006 and 2008 were a different matter. The 2006 was all about power and drive, the 2008 about precision, tension and energy. Both beautiful wines with a long future ahead of them.
And finally the 1993. Elegant and perfumed with great focus and poise on the palate and a long finish showing great complexity and balance – not a particularly stellar vintage but one in which the white wines of the region have excelled over time. Certainly at a plateau now but this particular bottle was in a happy place...thank you cork.
With a great pedigree in the cellar, the white wines of Bonneau du Martray also seem to be good value in the scheme of things, with pricing usually sitting lower than other Grand Cru white Burgundies. They also provide fascinating drinking over their lifespan .....compact and punchy in their youth, graceful and complex with age.....a classic.
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