A powerful yet precise Grand Cru Chardonnay from the heights of Corton-Charlemagne. The 2020 vintage reveals vibrant notes of lemon curd, tangerine and white flowers layered over intense chalky minerality. Concentrated and structured, yet beautifully refined, it offers freshness, finesse and a long, saline finish. Crafted from organically grown grapes and aged in French oak, this is a muscular, age-worthy white Burgundy with exceptional depth and elegance.

James Suckling | JS 97
Published: Jul 24, 2022

Very complex nose of lemon curd, tangerine and violets. So cool and precise, with excellent concentration, but not a gram of fat on its muscular body, this is a marathon-runner white Burgundy. Intense, chalky minerality is married to restrained creaminess at the dangerously fresh, long finish. From a 3.65-hectare plot at 320 meters altitude on the east-facing side of this site. From organically grown grapes. Drink or hold.

Decanter | D 95
Published: May 23, 2021
Drink: 2025-2050

At the very top of the hill planted on white marl, this four-hectare parcel is typically the last one to be picked - there is the elevation but also a wind that is always blowing here. The nose has a pronounced lemon peel and green apple fruit with a delightful, saline minerality. There is not a lot of oak spice or malo notes - only 20% new wood is used for the fermentation. On the palate, there is a laser focus and impressive finesse. With time it opens to show a lovely depth and complexity. Really top.

The Wine Advocate | RP 92-94
Published: Jan 20, 2022

Aromas of orange oil, peach, confit citrus, freshly baked bread, beeswax and white flowers preface the 2020 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, a full-bodied, layered and concentrated wine that's deep and muscular, with a rich but tensile profile and a long, chalky finish.

Technical director Frédéric Weber and his team have realized another fine vintage chez Bouchard Père & Fils, beginning harvest on 19 August and sorting to remove dehydrated berries. The vineyards fared well despite a significant hydric deficit, testimony to viticulture that's among the best of the big houses; indeed, organic conversion is underway, and canopies are now hedged to 1.30 meters, around 30 centimeters higher than the classic low rognage that still predominates along the Côte—forward-thinking innovations that will no doubt find imitators in short order among other big players. In any case, the resulting wines have turned out beautifully, with alcohols in the region of 13% to 13.5% and lower pHs than in 2019. Vibrant, intensely colored and beautifully balanced, there are plenty of cuvées here that I'd be delighted to own. White wines chez Bouchard, readers should note, are bottled under DIAM closures.

Bouchard-pereetfils.com

An attractive story is told about this appellation: Charlemagne was very fond of the wine from Le Corton which, at the time, was red. Towards the end of the Emperor's life, the vineyards facing south were planted with chardonnay, to produce a white wine to avoid staining his white beard. In 1909, Bouchard Pere & Fils acquired 60% of the prestigious vineyard at Le Corton (i.e. 6.93 hectares) which, has the rare particularity of being planted with either pinot noir or chardonnay. Today, Bouchard Pere & Fils is the third most important owner in Corton-Charlemagne, with 3.65 hectares.

TASTING NOTE: Intense fruit and toasted aromas blended with the mineral notes typical of this appellation on the nose. A rich, powerful wine with a strong personality. Very good ageing potential.
FOOD/WINE PAIRING: Fish and shellfish in sauce, foie gras.
SERVING TEMPERATURE: Between 12?C to 14?C
AGEING POTENTIAL: 7 to 10 years and more

HARVEST: manual, in small cases of 13 kg. Careful manual sorting of each grape.
VINIFICATION: The pressing takes place in two phases: evacuation of the first juice, then pressing in two-hourly cycles.
MATURING: 12 to 13 months in French oak, with up to 15% new oak, depending on the vintage.
AGEING: The cellars located in the Bastions of the ancient Chateau de Beaune offer ideal ambient conditions. Thanks to their natural hygrometry and constant temperatures, the Grands Crus enjoy from their first youth an environment that is perfectly adapted to tranquil ageing.

GRAPE VARIETY: Chardonnay
EXPOSITION: East
SOIL OF THE APPELATION: Limestone and clay, predominantly limestone
TOTAL SURFACE OF THE APPELATION IN PRODUCTION:52.44 hectares
DOMAIN SURFACE IN PRODUCTION: 3.65 hectares