Corton AOC
Corton is both a historic and sprawling wine region, named after the Côte de Beaune’s iconic Corton hill, and the emperor Curtis d’Othon who owned land there. Today, there is no emperor, just winegrowers – and a grand cru appellation created in 1937. The vines thrive on Corton’s terroirs of limestone, pebbles and marl with their high potassium content. The vineyards cover 100 hectares between the villages of Ladoix-Serrigny, Aloxe-Corton and Pernand-Vergelesses, at altitudes of between 250 and 330 metres. This grand cru has no fewer than 25 climats (term used in Burgundy for precisely delimited plots), including La Vigne au Saint, Les Chaumes, Les Renardes and Le Clos du Roi.
With so many different climats, there is great variety to be found in Corton wines. The appellation produces Chardonnay (just 5% of the total vineyard area is planted with the variety), which is supple and round, with hints of butter, baked apple, fern and honey. Its Pinot Noir wines are powerful and structured, with scents of red and black fruit, leather, fur and liquorice. One thing Corton wines have in common is that they need a few years in the cellar to open up. Wineries like Méo-Camuzet, Armand Heitz, Philippe Pacalet, De Montille, Chandon de Brailles, Vincent Girardin, Dubreuil Fontaine, Maillard et Fils, and La Pousse d’Or are all names to look out for.
Camille Rodier (co-founder of the Confrérie du Tastevin) crowned this appellation the “King of the Bon Vivants”, but we’ll leave it up to you to make up your own mind!
