Corton-Charlemagne

Corton-Charlemagne is an Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) and Grand Cru vineyard for white wine in the Côte de Beaune subregion of Burgundy.

[10] In the late 8th century AD, the land was owned by Charlemagne: in 775 he gave most of the hill of Corton to the Abbey of St. Andoche in Saulieu,[7] which had been destroyed by Saracens in 731.

On the slopes just below the woodland, most of the clay topsoil has eroded away leaving a narrow band of oolitic limestone mixed with marl.

This band of limestone, which has a radial exposition of 270 degrees stretching from the east-facing lieu-dits of Bassess Mourottes and Hautes Mourottes above Ladoix-Serrigny to down south and west to northwest facing lieu-dits of Le Charlemagne above Pernand-Vergelesses, is most suited for white wine grape varieties and have historically been the source for Corton-Charlemagne wine.

[7] Further down the slope, the vineyard soils transition from predominately limestone to having higher clay, iron, scree and ammonite fossil material that is most suited for red grape varieties.

The particularly mesoclimate of Corton-Charlemagne is fractionally cooler, by a few growing degrees than the lower slopes that produce red Corton AOC.

This requires Corton-Charlemagne growers to be limit the number of buds they leave with winter pruning and to be active during the growing season in leaf-pulling and removing excess shoots.

[7] In Corton-Charlemagne, Chardonnay is valued for its ability to adapt to a variety of soils and micro-climates while reliably ripening to adequate sugar levels that don't necessitate much chaptalization.

[7] Wines labelled under the AOC designation Charlemagne and Corton-Charlemagne must be made from 100% Chardonnay that have been harvested at yields no greater than 40 hectoliters/hectare (approximately 2.7 tons/acre).

There are no AOC specifications for aging prior to release but the finished wine must attain a minimum alcohol level of 12% by volume.

[5] By 2008, those figured changed only slightly with 52.44 hectares (129.6 acres) of vineyard surface being in production within the AOC producing 2,237 hectoliter of wine, corresponding to just under 300,000 bottles.

[5] Master of Wine Clive Coates describes the Chardonnay of Corton-Charlemagne as being slower to mature than Montrachet with well-made examples from favorable vintages needing at least 10 years of aging before they are drinking at their peak.

[5] Wine writer Tom Stevenson describes Corton-Charlemagne as "the most sumptuous of all white Burgundies" with rich buttery and fruit flavors and notes of cinnamon, vanilla and honey.

The Corton hill as seen from southwest. The Corton vineyards on this side of the hill are located in Aloxe-Corton.
The name of the Roman Emperor Otho was eventually corrupted into "Corton".
Holy Roman Emperor Charlemagne who, as King of the Franks, gave the hill of Corton to the abbey of St. Andoche.
The top of the hill of Corton is heavily wooded with Chardonnay planted on the upper reaches of the slope where the soil is mostly limestone. Further down the slope as the proportion of clay increases, Pinot noir is more likely to be found.
Chardonnay is the only permitted grape in the AOC wines of Corton-Charlemagne.
A Corton-Charlemagne wine from Louis Latour.
Corton-Charlemagne from négociant and vineyard land owner Louis Latour.