WB Burgundy Appellation Series Week 10: Aloxe-Corton+

WINE TALK
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Hello again and welcome to Week 10 or our WineBerserkers Burgundy Weekly Tasting Series. This week, we will be focusing on a diverse set of appellations including: Ladoix-Serrigny; Pernand Vergelesses and Aloxe-Corton along with the Grands Crus of Le Corton, Corton-Charlemagne and Charlemagne.

A few notes from MJ Lavalle’s Histoire et Statistique de la Vigne et Des Grands Vins de La Côte d’Or written in 1855

Aloxe

-Around 140 to 150 hectares of fine vines planted
-Noted as one of the most handsome villages
-Like in the best Grands Crus vineyards, no trees are planted, besides a few peach trees
-Pinot Noir was planted in the middle and lower parts of the slope, while a mix of pinot blanc and pinor noir were planted in the higher areas. there was a bit of pinot gris planted in the areas set for white wine
-The ancient way to spell Corton was ‘Courton’
-There are records of sale going back to at least the year 1212
-Courtépée mentions that Corton comes from the name of a neighboring forest and notes a sale from the year of 858AD of some vines in Aloxe

Vignes Hors Ligne (exceptional)
He divided the Climat of Corton into the following:

Corton (‘cleanly stated’) 11ha 58a
Remarkable throughout. Part pinot noir and the other pinot blanc. The average harvest is around 13-14 hl/ha. The whites were considered best with the inferior (unclear if in this context inferior is relating to size or quality) area planted to reds.

Le Clos-Du-Roi-Corton 10ha 82a
100% planted to pinot noir, never going above 13-14 hl/hl. This, along with Les Renardes-Corton are considered the most perfect parts of Corton Climat

Les Renardes-Corton 15ha 26a
This climats brings less quantity during harvest than the last climat.

These are Hors Ligne, though thought to be somewhat inferior to the above listed

Les Chaumes 7ha 8a

Les Charlemagne 16ha 81a
For the white wine produced in the part of the climat located over Aloxe.

Premiere Cuvee

Les Bressandes 5ha 71a
These wines are perhaps more fine than a few of the other climats of Aloxe, though they have a lot less body.

Les Perrières 10ha 73a
Les Fiètres 1ha 30a
Les Grèves 1ha 84a
Les Languettes 7ha 35a
Les Pougets 9ha 94a
Les Miex 1ha 97a
La Vigne-Au-Saint 2ha 50a

Deuxième Cuvée

Les Fournières 6ha 39a
Les Chaillots 6ha 21a
En Poland 4ha 65a
En Boulmeau 1ha 52a
Les Planchots 1ha 35a
Les Suchots 50 CENTS<<<<
Les Genevrières 1ha 39a
Les Combes 8ha 67a
En Tope-Marteneau 1ha 69a
Les Guèrets 3ha 64a
Les Vercots 4ha 30a
La Saillère 41 ARES

He notes that the wines of Aloxe have a particular trademark that is easy to distinguish from other crus. These are the most firm wines and clearly from the Côte de Beaune. They can be held the longest, more than 30 years, 40 years and more in certain years. The vines noted as Hors Ligne show these qualities to the highest degree. The wines of Corton are those that give much honor to the wines of Burgundy, and they have associated their name dearly and gloriously along with those from Chambertin, Vougeot, Romanée, Saint-Georges, Montrachet, etc. More than any other, the wines of Corton resemble Chambertin, these are those with the most tannin.

Ladouée (Ladoix-Serrigny)
He just mentions that there are pinot noir vines here that produce wines that are not without value.

Pernant (Pernand)

Like Aloxe and Savigny, the planting of pinot noir has all but chased out the the vines of pinot blanc and gamet (gamay) covers only the inferior climats.

Première Cuvée

Vins Blancs (Cuvée Unique)
Le Charlemange 19ha 70a. Average harvest of 20hl/ha

Vins Rouges

Les Vergelesses 27ha 12a
Harvest averages 15hl/ha

Deuxième Cuvée
Le Caradeux 20ha 17a

Troisième Cuvée
‘A third cuvee of red wines is harvested at the climat Le Charlemagne by M Bonneau-Véry.’

He goes on for nearly a page about Le Charlemagne which was also found under the name of Le Clos de Charlemagne producing excellent wines, that in many points resembles the wines of Corton Blanc. It is situated at the time on the commune of Pernand and Aloxe, and it produced some red and white wines. Today, it is not harvested as it once was. Courtépée did not hesitate in considering clos’ (reputation) as it belonged to the Emperor Charlemagne and since it was given by him to Saulieu. This donation took place in 775AD.
[cheers.gif]

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Great stuff, Ray. One interesting point is that the size of many of the lieux-dits has changed. For example, today’s official version of Les Bressandes is 17.42 hectares, qiute a change from the 5,71 ha you listed. Probably a neighboring lieu-dit was at some point incorporated in Bressandes, I would guess.

The fact that I bring up a detail like this just underscores the widespread validity of the work published over 150 years ago. By 1855, the Cote d’Or was pretty mature as a winegrowing region, and what was mostly true then remains mostly true today. Generations come, and generations go. Fashions change. Ownership turns over, through revolution (before 1855) and through normal commerce. But the terroir remains; it is the constant. You just gotta love that.

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Thanks Lew,
I agree, this level of consistency works in numerous ways here. For me, it is amazing to consider the same land being worked in much the same manner for such a long time. There were of course deviations in this work, reputations of climats have adjusted countless times (more so since the INAO than previously) and fads did come into play throughout the centuries. Though the work, the land (not necessarily the name of said land) and respect for them has remained.

Your point recalls an issue that I struggle with when considering these old texts. I would have enjoyed to know the placements of these tiny lieux-dits that have since been expanded into. Also, it would be interesting to know the motivations for doing so, along with why it was accepted…cross referencing this with the owners of the connecting climats would add yet another level to the study. If we are fair, it can be admitted that the tiny pieces aren’t commercially feasible, especially after being split up. It would, however, be of interest to have some detail on what was done by using asterisks or some footnote…

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Nicely done Ray

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Tried today the 2008 Bonneau de Matray Corton Charlemagne… Nice wine. Nose was a little closed but gave lime and apple after some coaxing. Flavor echoed the apple with citrus. Bright acidity and not as full bodied as I was expecting given the vintage. Still pretty nice and certainly one of my better experiences with young BdM.

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The Hill of Corton
Here is a link to last year’s discussion of The Hill of Corton and the surrounding three communes of Ladoix-Serrigny, Aloxe-Corton, and Pernand-Vergelesses.

After Ray’s excellent introduction, I hesitate to post my personal classment of the crus. I decided to proceed, because at the end of the Burg Week cycle I plan to offer up a brief summary, hopefully to illuminate the several key fulcrums that leverage the Burgundy wine trade.

Overview of the Hill of Corton:
The overlapping grand crus of Corton and Corton-Charlemagne cover 160.2 ha (over 395 acres), the largest grand cru by far. This is more than triple the size of Clos de Vougeot, the second largest grand cru in the Cote d’Or. All of this 160.2 ha is authorized to grow pinot noir as Corton grand cru. Also, about 71.9 ha are authorized to grow chardonnay as Corton-Charlemagne grand cru. The majority of this 71.9 ha is indeed planted to chardonnay, but not all, as some prime pinot noir sites are included. The remaining area (160.2 – 71.9 = 88.3 ha) not entitled to Corton Charlemagne can (but rarely does) grow chardonnay as Corton Blanc grand cru.

The total 160.2 ha is proportioned approx 61% red/39% white by hectares. However, with slightly higher chardonnay yields compared to pinot noir, the wine production is closer… 54% red/46% white in 2008.

Corton is a lot of hectares, and a lot of wine, by Burgundian standards. But here is a reality check: the excellent and well-known Sleepy Hollow Vineyard in Santa Lucia Highlands is 565 acres (229 ha), which is nearly 1.5 times the size of the entire Corton hill.

It is impossible to separate red wines from white in discussing the Hill of Corton, as the appellations overlap. However, I’ll express my opinions only on the red wines, as I no longer buy any whites, and frankly I try not to think about them. I’m sure others will comment on the whites this week, and also as we work our way through the Cote de Beaune.

First division grand crus:
Corton-Clos du Roi (a lieu-dit of 10.73 ha in the commune of Aloxe-Corton). Clos du Roi is a personal sentimental favorite, and is the very heart of the pinot zone. It is the most consistent, most complete wine of the Corton hill IMO, maybe half a step ahead of Bressandes and a few others. So I placed it in the top rank… YMMV.

Other grand crus:
The balance of Corton excluding Clos du Roi (roughly 86.6 ha, obviously excluding chardonnay plantings). Contrary to Jules Lavalle’s 1855 classification, the lieu-dit Les Bressandes (17.42 ha) is widely considered the best after Clos du Roi. And in the same qualitative pack come Le Corton (11.67 ha) and Les Renardes (14.35 ha).

I’m not proposing demotions, but if I were, there would be some here, and also a few in the appellations already discussed in prior weeks.

Quasi-Grand 1er Crus:
(None)

Elite 1er Crus:
Ile de Vergelesses (9.41 ha in Pernand-Vergelesses), one of the great, great QPR’s of Burgundy.

Other 1er Crus … Ladoix has 29 ha of premier crus, Aloxe has nearly 38 ha, and Pernand has 47 ha excluding the Ile de Vergelesses listed above. As in the grand cru, many of the 1ers are permitted to grow red or white. Other than Ile de Vergelesses, my experience is rather limited, unfortunately.

Maps of the three individual communes are confusing IMO because all three communes come together to make up the Corton/Corton Charlemagne grand cru. The best map I have found shows how they fit together.

Royalty Arriving Now
Corton is somewhat under-rated and dis-respected. There are several reasons. There is a lot of Corton, so it lacks the cachet of rarity. When it is good, the wine demands long aging to shed its austerity and structure, and to allow its full beauty to be experienced. And it often is not all that good… there are some Corton zones which should probably be 1er cru instead of grand cru… and there are some domains and negociants who are not putting quality first.

The fact that Corton is less highly esteemed than other grand crus does create many opportunities for the savvy (and patient) shopper.

Corton rouge is sure to achieve a higher profile from DRC’s acquisition (long-term lease) of 2.3 ha of Clos du Roi, Bressandes, and Renardes from Domaine Prince de Merode. I believe this will be good for the whole neighborhood. DRC’s first vintage is 2009. It will be interesting to see hordes of DRC “collectors” clamoring after this wine who have never lusted for Corton before. I predict DRC will price this wine similar to Echezeaux, but the secondary market will be a lot higher.

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Corton rouge is sure to achieve a higher profile from DRC’s acquisition (long-term lease) of 2.3 ha of Clos du Roi, Bressandes, and Renardes from Domaine Prince de Merode. I believe this will be good for the whole neighborhood. DRC’s first vintage is 2009. It will be interesting to see hordes of DRC “collectors” clamoring after this wine who have never lusted for Corton before. I predict DRC will price this wine similar to Echezeaux, but the secondary market will be a lot higher.

Lew -I totally agree. The problem will be : how to get your hand on a few bottles flirtysmile

The following information is for Mr. Mike During only [wink.gif] : Les Paulands has part in village, 1ieme cru and G-cru AOC.

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I really like the whites from the Pernand side. They seem to have more mineral component and finesse. Much of Bonneau du Martray’s land is here. I love the reds from Renardes when well made like de Montille or Faiveley Clos des Cortons (a monopole carved out of the eastern side of Renardes). Clos du Roi seems to have the biggest variability of producer to me. Maybe that is why I am not such a fan. I do like the section called Le Corton owned by Bouchard which is located above Clos du Roi and Renardes close to the Bois de Corton. Beautiful stuff. Nice job Ray and Lew here. Thanks.

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As I was on this patch-of-ground last week it seems a good moment to break-cover here!

While most of the week was elsewhere on the Cote, Saturday morning was at Dubreuil-Fontaine in Pernand-Vergelesses. Not an estate I’m familiar with but I found lots to like here. Sixteen wines was a bit tough at 10am, but the range is pretty extensive from around that area and it seemed rude not to taste widely!

Whites

At the most basic level both the 2009 Aligote and the 2008 Bourgogne Chardonnay had lots to offer - the latter great value at €7. We tried four Pernand whites, the villages and the 1er Cru Sous Fretille 2007 & Clos Berthet 2007 & 2008. A clear step-up from the villages to the 1er crus but all good. The sous Fretille richer and more intense than the Berthet which had a very appealing spiciness to it.

For me the standout white was (inevitably?) the Corton-Charlemagne 2008. Simply stunningly good wine - intellectual, elegant, charming. Palate, hugely-fruited and complex with the rich toasty buttery notes balanced with a rush of acidity. Generous, ripe, delicious and built to last (but soooo good now…). At €46 seemed too good to miss.

Reds

The villages Pernand-Vergelesses 2008 is a value quaffer at €10. They also do village Volnay and Pommard, the 2008 of each being good value at around €18, both having real character for their origins. I really liked the 2008 1er Pernand-Vergelesses which at €22 punched well above its weight with a bright savoury meaty nose and a lushly blackberry fruited palate given complexity by more savoury notes. This will be good in 5-10 years, I think.

The two GCs are quite different. I loved the Corton Clos du Roi 2008 (€35) - subtle, complex and elegant nose with gentle strawberry fruit. Palate structured and big but with a luscious velvet texture and real lift. Has great presence without being at all overpowering or tiring. On the other hand I found the Bressandes 2008 had a rather pulpy strawberry fruit character that for me at least was a bit simple. Good, but not as great as its sibling.

A really impressive domaine overall, lovely line-up of wines, good tasting room and a nice welcome.

Recommended.

From here we went to see Ray, but I’ll save that for another time…

Andy

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Hi Peter, keeping us on our toes [thumbs-up.gif].
Great write up Lew and Ray, when Lew referred Les Bressandes as a lieu-dit I did have to check that it was foremost a climat [wink.gif]
Cheers Mike

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Yes, Ray , it is mind-boggling to consider people working the same vineyards 150-200 years ago, though details might have changed.

It would be interesting, indeed, to find out how and why-- and when-- the various borders of the lieux-dits became what they are today. I know lots of politics and gerrymandering were involved in expanding some of the grand crus to what they are today. It is probably still going on even if nothing much has changed visibly recently.

Part of what makes Burgundy so fascinating…way beyond the wines themselves.

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Stuart, is is still continuing. For example, when searching last night for some hectare statistics in the Jasper Morris book, I noticed that Jasper wrote about Corton-Charlemagne being extended by 10 hectares in the mid-1960’s, and several lieux-dits being upgraded to Corton (from Ladoix 1er cru) in the mid-1970’s. Such petitions are driven by economics more than anything else, I would think. Also, the INAO tends to simplify labelling at times, and help out the producers at the same time, by incorporating some of the more obscure lieux-dits into their more famous neighbors. I don’t know if this happened in Corton, but Chalis 1er crus are a prime example.

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Andy, welcome to the Wineberserkers board. Thanks for that great report on Dubreuil-Fontaine.

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Andy, great to have you here, Welcome! It was a pleasure to meet you last weekend! Looking forward to your thoughts on the coming appellations…

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I’ll get some Pernand notes up tomorrow after visiting Chandon de Briailles for the first time.

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I’d bet that there are , as we discuss now, efforts ongoing to upgrade/expand the borders.

RE: Chablis: if you are talking about the whole group of 1ers that got included, that was a battle royale…with the whole town divided. Some thought it was heresy to create new 1er crus on non-Kimmeridgian soils (that the historical 1ers and the grand crus are on). Others, for various reasons, were fine with expanding them to the Portlandian soils. When I first visited there were still resentments on both sides’ parts. It was serious stuff…much more basic and controversial than the tinkering/gerrymandering with the boundaries/lieux dits’ classifications in the Cote d’Or…

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Mike…if you would REALLY like to talk about the difference between a liex-dit and a climat ( and/or a sub-climat )…WAIT until Ray gets to Chassagne-Montrachet. flirtysmile

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I have seen climat and lieu-dit used interchangably. My take on climat is that it is usually associated with a Grand Cru in Burgundy. Not used in other cases such as village level vineyards. Chablis is one place where it is used extensively to designate the areas of importance.
i.e. Chablis is the AOC. The climat is Les Clos. BTW, if Moutonne was put out as a single offering (like Louis Michel has done I believe) it would also be a climat not a lieu-dit.

I would consider the different Corton’s to be climats of Corton and not lieux-dits but that is just me.
FWIW.

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Ray,

As you know, I really like their wines and will be interested in seeing your thoughts.

I think the red Cortons can be excellent values and there are some PV that are great bargains, like from Morot and Chandon de Briailles (esp. their Ile des Vergelleses.

Corton producers I have esp. enjoyed include Chandon de Briailles, Michel Gaunoux, Jadot, Bouchard and Faiveley.

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Hey Howard,
your thoughts on them are the reason why I’m making a point to visit. They still have stocks back to 2001…this should be fun :wink:

Cheers