The vine

• Plot /climat

  Charlemagne (covers 3 villages: Aloxe-Corton, Ladoix-Serrigny and Pernand-Vergelesses)

• History

  It is said that the emperor Charlemagne in 775 A.D. donated a vast vineyard located on the Corton hill to the holy order of the Saulieu collegiate.

• Soil

  The bedrock of this grand cru is limestone and the topsoil consists in fine clay mixed with "chaillots", the name given for flint and silica-limestone deposits.

• Our plot(s)

  Several plots, in all 91 ares, situated halfway up the Corton hill in the Pernand-Vergelesses commune, facing south west at an altitude of between 280 and 380 meters and planted in 1940, 1960,1965, 1955, 1994, 2007 and 2015.

• Age of vines

  • Planting date Surface
  • 1940 13a
  • 1960 11.16a
  • 1965 25.57a
  • 1971 3.44a
  • 1988 10a
  • 1994 1.84a
  • 2007 15.24a

The wine

• Description

  100% Chardonnay from handpicked grapes, produced in oak casks.

• Taste

  Rich in colour with a greenish golden hue; impressive, complex aromas of white and citrus fruit with a slight spicy touch. Firstly mineral, in the mouth it has strength, round and silky with good persistence.

• Serving temperature

  12/14°C. Recent vintages may be decanted to enhance the aroma.

The vintage

• The mild Winter meant that vegetation growth started early; we began debudding mid-April and with fine sunny weather the vine developed and flourished gradually in good conditions. The Summer was very dry which accelerated the maturing process with a lower yield but a high aromatic concentration for the Pinot Noir grape; for the Chardonnay however, the conditions were satisfactory for both growth and maturity. The grape harvest commenced on 20 August. The white wines follow the true burgundy tradition with good intensity and citrus notes, fresh and mineral in the mouth