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

• Year 2021 : down in history for frost. The frost which hit the French winelands was the worst ever experienced. Our domain was seriously struck with a yield equivalent to a third of a normal grape harvest. The frost early in April, slowed down the growth rate of the vine which took time to recover in addition to which the season was marked by frequent periods of rain , beneficial for the life of the vine but complicating the control of mildew and oidium. It was not an easy season to manage right up to harvest time as from 18 September when again spells of rain did not facilitate matters ; nevertheless, healthy grapes were selected after careful sortation on picking and before processing such that on monitoring the maturity of the wine , its equilibrium is surprisingly satisfactory. The white wines are crisp and mineral with many citrus aromas, long and full in the mouth to different degrees depending on the vineyard.