Winemaker Notes
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
The de Nicolays’ holdings in the Clos du Roi are located at the top of this large vineyard, where the soils are more red and sandy than those classified (in white) as Corton-Charlemagne, but featuring the same type of marl. Of the domaine’s three Cortons, the Clos du Roi reveals the most complex and complete bouquet, bursting from the glass with aromas of red and black cherry, plum, candied peel, roasted espresso and rich forest floor. More elegant and aloof than the Bressandes, the wine is full-bodied, multidimensional and complete; its fine, velvety tannins cloaked in cool, vibrant fruit, and underpinned by a deep vein of saline minerality.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2016 Corton Clos du Roi Grand Cru is immensely impressive, unfurling in the glass with aromas of wild blueberries, raspberries and cassis that mingle with notions of dark chocolate, musk, violets and ineffable savory bass-notes. On the palate, the wine is full-bodied, satiny and multidimensional, with superb concentration, tangy acids and a long, searingly mineral finish. It's one of the two or three finest expressions of the hill of Corton to be found—with the domaine's fleshier, more gourmand Corton Bressandes not far behind. As readers may know, the de Nicolays’ holdings in the Clos du Roi are located at the top of this large vineyard, where the soils are redder and sandier than those classified—in white—as Corton-Charlemagne but which feature the same type of marl.
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Wine Spectator
Perfumed, this red makes a grand entrance with sandalwood, mint, saturated cherry and blueberry aromas and flavors. The tannins make their presence felt yet remain civilized, matched by the long aftertaste of fruit and spice. Best from 2023 through 2045. 17 cases imported.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
Prevailing over the charming village of Aloxe, the hill of Corton actually commands the entire appellation. Corton is the only Grand Cru for Pinot Noir in the entire Côte de Beaune. Its Grand Crus red wines can be described simply as “Corton” or Corton hyphenated with other names. These vineyards cover the southeast face of the hill of Corton where soils are rich in red chalk, clay and marl.
Dense and austere when young, the best Corton Pinot Noir will peak in complexity and flavor after about a decade, offering some of the best rewards in cellaring among Côte de Beaune reds. Pommard and Volnay offer similar potential.
The great whites of the village are made within Corton-Charlemagne, a cooler, narrow band of vineyards at the top of the hill that descends west towards the village of Pernand-Vergelesses. Here the thin and white stony soils produce Chardonnay of exceptional character, power and finesse. A minimum of five years in bottle is suggested but some can be amazing long after. Fully half of Aloxe-Corton is considered Grand Cru.