Winemaker Notes
Its color is rather deep, its nose powerful and verging on candied fruit and spices when maturing. It has good structure in the mouth, without harshness. A good Corton must have gras (a velvety texture) to counterbalance tannin and acidity. On the palate, it recalls the candied fruit present in the nose. Very long and persistent, it ends on a very complex note.
Professional Ratings
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James Suckling
Beautifully attractive, fresh red roses and violets with lighter red berries that meld into some sous-bois notes. The palate has a very assertive core with a plush, lithe and juicy edge that delivers a super fine, powerful and seamless impression. Corton in all its glory here! Try from 2022.
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Decanter
If Drouhin's Corton-Charlemagne is all about power, their Corton is lighter, fresher and more austere. It's focussed, chiselled and aromatic, with 45% whole bunches and 35% new wood. A sappy, spicy wine that's likely to please fans of more traditional reds from the grand cru.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
Derived mostly from Renardes this year, the 2017 Corton Grand Cru is a definite success, offering up aromas of cassis, spicy soil, grilled meat and dark chocolate. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, layered and incisive, with good depth at the core, fine but firm structuring tannins and a long finish.
Barrel Sample: 91-93 -
Wilfred Wong of Wine.com
COMMENTARY: The 2017 Joseph Corton Grand Cru is an excellent wine. TASTING NOTES: This wine is a beautiful example of Corton. Enjoy its aromas and flavors of bright red fruits with grilled lamb chops accented with mint leaves. (Tasted: April 25, 2019, San Francisco, CA)
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.