Corton Grand Cru
A great Burgundy red wine from the Aloxe-Corton commune. The grape variety used is Pinot Noir. The vines are 50 years old.
Red wine vinification : We aim to obtain fruity wines, rich in blended tannins, which is the mark of well ripened grapes. We bring in the grapes in small crates for careful sorting in the winery; a conveyor belt is used for filling the tanks in order to respect the grapes. The fermentation lasts 15 days with pigeages, punching down of the cap, allowing the wine to soak up the richness and the colour from the grape-skins before pressing. Ageing takes place in barrels of which 20 % are new. Racking by the means of a bellow eliminates the need for a pump. All these precautions limit handling of the grapes and the wine as much as possible, thus preserving all the richness.
Terroir : The Corton hill stands north of Beaune.
Corton is a composite meaning "Othon's Court". In medieval Latin cortis designated the courtyard and was used in the same way as the gallo-Roman villa, indicating a property belonging to a member of the Frankisk nobility.
Corton occupies the hill-slope exposed towards the south. It is the only red Grand Cru in Côte de Beaune.
Corton is produced on two "climats"* , Corton Combes (valleys), Corton Les Chaumes (stony plateau) and la Voie Rosse (ancient form of "rousse" without doubt evoking a ferruginous soil).
Tasting : With their intense and brilliant garnet-red robe and a dense and complex nose, the Corton wines are rich, powerful and more complete than their little brother Aloxe-Corton. It is a full-bodied, elegant and generous wine with an excellent ageing potential combining power and finesse. Young, it displays spicy notes, black currant and kirsch, and then evolves, as it ages, towards aromas of under-growth, truffles and leather. This wine is incomparably rich due to the great age of the vines; to be enjoyed between 4 and 15 ans.
t goes well with duck à l'orange, fine meet in sauce, hare stew, venison filet, fine cheeses. Serving temperature : 15°C.
* The term "climat" constitutes the Burgundy definition of "Terroir", in other words the specific geological and climatic conditions found on a defined plot of land.
