Domaine Bonneau du Martray : Corton-Charlemagne Grand cru 2023

Characteristics and Tasting Tips for the 2023 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru from Domaine Bonneau du Martray

Tasting

Appearance

The colour is brilliant, a pale yellow with subtle golden highlights. Greenish glints, a sign of youth, appear in the light.

Nose

The nose opens with white stone fruits and orchard fruits, such as white peach and crisp apple and pear. It continues with notes of lemon zest, light honey, buttery pastry and hazelnut, sometimes toasted. In the background, chalky touches of crushed limestone, flint and gunflint can be detected. Hints of white flowers, mint, white pepper, propolis and beeswax complete the bouquet.

Palate

The attack is satiny, ample and fleshy. The mid-palate, dense and layered, interweaves fruit, honeyed notes, buttery nuances and mineral elements. The acidity emerges rather late and tightens the finish. The finish is long and chalky, with echoes of lemon and hazelnut, and at times a saline sensation.

The Elegance of a Burgundy Corton-Charlemagne from the Charlemagne Climat in Pernand-Vergelesses

The estate

Domaine Bonneau du Martray, based in Pernand-Vergelesses in the Côte de Beaune (Burgundy), saw its family estate take shape in 1835, with the marriage of Charles Bonneau du Martray and Marie-Eugénie Very. Vines have nevertheless been cultivated on the hill of Corton for centuries. Since 2017, E. Stanley Kroenke has been the majority shareholder, alongside the Le Bault de la Morinière family. The estate produces exclusively two grands crus, one white and one red. Its vineyard, a single contiguous block, is farmed biodynamically.

The vineyard

This wine comes from the Charlemagne climat, on the hill of Corton. This appellation stands out for its west-facing sectors, a rare orientation among the grands crus of Burgundy. The vines are spread across the lieux-dits En Charlemagne, on the Pernand-Vergelesses side, and Le Charlemagne, on the Aloxe-Corton side. Depending on their position on the slope, the soils bring tension and minerality, structure and texture, or power and density.

The vineyard is farmed organically and biodynamically, without herbicides or synthetic fertilisers.

Vinification and ageing

For the 2023 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, the grapes are lightly crushed and then pressed, without prolonged maceration. After settling, the musts are transferred to barrel for fermentation. This takes place mainly in oak barrels, complemented by other vessels of various shapes and sizes.

Each plot is vinified separately. The wines rest on their lees. A first blending then brings together the plots of the same microclimate. The wines then continue their ageing in tank on fine lees. A second racking separates them from their lees before the final blend. The cuvée then rests before bottling.

Grape variety

100% Chardonnay