Domaine de Montille, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, Burgundy

An introduction to Domaine de Montille, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, Burgundy

The Grand Cru Corton-Charlemagne cuvée by Domaine de Montille is sourced from a 1.2 hectare plot of Chardonnay vines in the famous Grand Cru climat of Corton-Charlemagne. The plot was planted with Pinot Noir when it was purchased in 2005. However, due to the yellow marl and clay soil with its fine gravel top-layer being better suited to growing fine Chardonnay, the upper portion was regrafted and the lower portion replanted. The comparatively young vines are yielding a fine Chardonnay offering rich fruit and lemon-curd notes and a deliciously round and opulent mouthfeel, a quality so typical of this famously expressive terroir. A replanting decision well made.

Performance

Understanding Domaine de Montille, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, Burgundy

The 17-year-old vines that comprise the Grand Cru Corton-Charlemagne cuvée by Domaine de Montille are farmed biodynamically without herbicides or pesticides and with much of the viticultural work conducted by hand. The grapes are hand-picked and lightly pressed before fermentation occurs in a combination of French oak demi-muids and barriques, of which approximately 30% are new. After one year of élevage in oak the wine is racked into a steel tank to complete the maturation process prior to bottling with non-sterile filtration. The result is a powerful wine with immense staying power, showing mouth-coating texture and fruit character alongside a fine streak of minerality. This is a wine to keep and should evolve well over the next fifteen to twenty years under the right cellar conditions.

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