Domaine Ponsot : Corton-Charlemagne Grand cru 2020

Tasting Notes and Recommendations for the Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 2020 from Domaine Ponsot

Tasting

Appearance

The wine displays a pale yellow hue with golden, slightly greenish highlights, reflecting its youth and meticulous winemaking.

Nose

The nose reveals beautiful aromatic complexity dominated by citrus notes (lemon zest, grapefruit), alongside nuances of pear, fresh bread, and beeswax. A pronounced mineral dimension emerges, evoking flinty notes, while subtle floral hints of white flowers complete the bouquet.

Palate

On the palate, this Corton-Charlemagne stands out for its broad yet taut structure. The attack is crisp, unveiling flavors of lemon, lime, and candied apple. The texture is both rich and chalky, carried by an intensely present limestone minerality that lends the wine a saline edge and remarkable freshness. Honeyed aromas and stone fruits (apricot, peach, quince) enrich the mid-palate. The finish is long and incisive, lingering on notes of bitter lemon and persistent chalky minerality.

Food and Wine Pairings

This Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 2020 pairs beautifully with the most refined gastronomic dishes: lobster poached in butter, pike quenelles with Nantua sauce, foie gras, noble fish in a creamy sauce, or roasted poultry. It also matches very well with soft cheeses and characterful cheeses such as Époisses.

Serving and Cellaring

This Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 2020 is best served at a temperature between 12 and 14°C. Decanting beforehand will allow the wine to fully reveal its aromatic complexity. With excellent aging potential, this wine can be cellared and enjoyed through at least 2038, and even beyond under optimal storage conditions.

A Burgundy Grand Cru marked by refinement and precision

The estate

Founded in 1872 by William Ponsot in Morey-Saint-Denis, the Domaine Ponsot ranks among Burgundy’s most respected producers. For five generations, the Ponsot family has embraced a minimalist winemaking philosophy that favors the authentic expression of terroirs. Now led by Rose-Marie Ponsot, the estate continues to uphold a sustainable approach to viticulture and low-intervention winemaking methods. Renowned for wines of great purity and remarkable longevity, Domaine Ponsot is distinguished by its rejection of new oak, its late harvesting, and its commitment to authenticity in its wines.

The vineyard

The Corton-Charlemagne from Domaine Ponsot comes from 0.35 hectares spread across the climats Le Charlemagne and Les Languettes, located on the upper slopes of the Corton hill in the Côte de Beaune. The vines, around forty years old at the time of the 2020 harvest, are planted at a density of 10,000 vines per hectare on marl soils rich in limestone and calcareous scree. This south-facing, high-altitude exposure promotes optimal ripening while preserving the freshness and acidity characteristic of Burgundy’s great white wines.

The vintage

The 2020 vintage in Burgundy is defined by a sunny, early-growing year. After a mild winter, the growing season unfolded without any major disease pressure, with periods of heat and generous sunshine. For chardonnay, the vintage made it possible to reach excellent phenolic ripeness while maintaining balanced acidity, an essential condition for producing age-worthy white wines. At Domaine Ponsot, yields were particularly low in 2020—around 50% below normal—thereby concentrating aromas and substance in the harvested grapes.

Winemaking and aging

The grapes for the Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 2020 were hand-harvested and carefully sorted before being transported in small crates of a maximum of 17 kilograms. After direct, slow pressing of whole clusters for about two and a half hours, the must was quickly cooled to 12°C and then transferred immediately into barrels without settling, thus preserving contact with the lees. Alcoholic fermentation, carried out with indigenous yeasts, continued through July 2021, nine months after harvest. The wine then underwent malolactic fermentation, followed by sixteen months of aging in French oak barrels with an average age of eight years, with no new oak whatsoever. The wine was lightly clarified with bentonite and gently filtered before being bottled by gravity in March 2022. This wine underwent neither fining nor excessive filtration, thereby preserving its natural aromatic richness. Over time, it may show a slight deposit, a sign of its authenticity. The bottle is fitted with an ArdeaSeal synthetic cork, ensuring optimal aging and protection against cork-related faults.

Grape variety

Chardonnay (100%)