De la Juviniere Corton Charlemagne 2009 Grand Cru

Corton-Charlemagneis the Grand Cru appellation for the white wines of the Montagne de Corton hill, in the Côte de Beaune district of Burgundy. The appellation was introduced in 1937 and covers the three surrounding communes of Aloxe-Corton, Ladoix-Serrigny and Pernand-Vergelesses. It is essentially synonymous with the less-used Charlemagne appellation, which covers only the vines in Aloxe-Corton and Pernand-Vergelesses. There are around 52 hectares (130 acres) of vineyard entitled to use one or both of the these Appellations Contrôlées.

The Emperor Charlemagne is said to have ordered the planting of the first white grape varieties on the Corton hillside. The red wines he loved so much stained his long white beard, and his wife (one of several) is said to have pressured him into drinking white wines instead. These would not necessarily have been made from the Chardonnay grapes used today. They are more likely to have been a mix of Pinot Gris (locally known as Pinot Beurot), Pinot Blanc and Aligoté. It was not until after the phylloxera outbreak of the 19th century that Chardonnay took over as the dominant grape variety in Burgundy’s premium white wines. Aligoté and Pinot Blanc are still permitted in Corton-Charlemagne wines today, although only in small quantities.