Winemaker Notes
The wine is full of energy and very precise. A beautiful brilliant gold color. The aromatic complexity expresses a large range of aromas with pear, apricot, and grilled nuts hints. The mouth is rich and dense, while enhanced by its minerality. An elegant and balanced wine.
Professional Ratings
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Decanter
Even at this youthful stage, the 2022 Corton Blanc packs power. I find it more minerally and dense than the typical Corton-Charlemagne, so I understand her reasoning for labeling. It’s a luxurious wine, even at this tightly wound stage. Parent’s vines are in Le Rognet et Corton section in the Ladoix-Serrigny portion of the hill of Corton, so the wine could be labeled as Corton-Charlemagne. Anne believes the character differs from classic Corton-Charlemagne so opts to label it as Corton Blanc.
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Vinous
The 2022 Corton Blanc Grand Cru, which legally could be labeled as Corton-Charlemagne, is matured entirely in new French oak with no lees-stirring. There is some reduction on the nose, and the oak will need to be integrated in bottle. The palate is medium-bodied with lovely balance, smooth in texture with almond, white peach and a creaminess from the oak. Very seductive, this will age with style.
Barrel Sample: 92-94
One of the most popular and versatile white wine grapes, Chardonnay offers a wide range of flavors and styles depending on where it is grown and how it is made. While it tends to flourish in most environments, Chardonnay from its Burgundian homeland produces some of the most remarkable and longest lived examples. California produces both oaky, buttery styles and leaner, European-inspired wines. Somm Secret—The Burgundian subregion of Chablis, while typically using older oak barrels, produces a bright style similar to the unoaked style. Anyone who doesn't like oaky Chardonnay would likely enjoy Chablis.
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.