Named vineyard
Corton-Charlemagne
Identity card
Grand cruAOPWhite
Burgundy › Côte de Beaune › Aloxe-Corton · Recognised on 31 July 1937
- Grand cru
- Premier cru
- Village
- Regional
Key points
- A white grand cru of about 52 ha (2008), across three communes.
- At most 48 hl/ha and at least 12% natural alcohol.
- The En Charlemagne lieu-dit probably recalls the emperor's gift of vines (775).
Grape varieties
White wine onlyChardonnay
Accessory varieties: Pinot Blanc (10% at most of the holding's vines)
Pinot Blanc · 30% at most of the blend
Production rules
48
hl/ha
Maximum yield
12
% ABV
Minimum natural alcohol
9,000
vines/ha
Minimum planting density
Minimum ageing: At least until 15 June after the harvest
- Maximum yield
- How much wine a hectare may produce under the appellation (a higher, exceptional ceiling often exists). The lower it is, the less can be made: one of the levers on how concentrated the grapes are. For reference: 35 hl/ha to 80 hl/ha across 97 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum natural alcohol
- The alcohol the grapes' own sugar must be able to give, without enrichment: a ripeness threshold at harvest. For reference: 9 % ABV to 14 % ABV across 47 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum planting density
- The fewest vines allowed per hectare. For the same yield, more vines means fewer grapes on each. For reference: 4,000 vines/ha to 9,000 vines/ha across 106 Oenopia appellations of the same colour.
- Minimum ageing
- A minimum ageing period the specification requires before the wine may be sold to consumers.
Terroir
- Lie of the land: Slopes of the Montagne de Corton, 240 to 350 m
- Soils: Silica-rich marls (chert) on the upper half
- Aspect: The En Charlemagne lieu-dit faces south and west
Wine style
- golden colour
- rich and powerful
- ripe fruit, spice
- dried fruit
- mineral notes
Boundaries: INAO, AOC vineyard plot delimitation (September 2026 edition) · Open Licence
Specification
25 October 2011
Cahier des charges homologué par le décret n° 2011-1380 du 25 octobre 2011, JORF du 28 octobre 2011. Appellation initialement reconnue par le décret du 31 juillet 1937.
Labelling terms
- The name may be followed by the words "grand cru"
Nearby appellations
Sources
- Official sourceCahiers des charges d'AOC publiés au BO-AGRI (décrets des 24 et 25 octobre 2011, second lot) — dont « Corton-Charlemagne », « Clos des Lambrays » et « Gevrey-Chambertin »— Ministère de l'agriculture et de la souveraineté alimentaire — Bulletin officiel (BO-AGRI)
- Reference bookThe Oxford Companion to Wine— Oxford University Press
- Trade bodyFiches d'appellation des vins de Bourgogne (surfaces et récoltes)— Bureau Interprofessionnel des Vins de Bourgogne (BIVB)
A white grand cru on the slopes of the Montagne de Corton, shared between Aloxe-Corton, Ladoix-Serrigny and Pernand-Vergelesses, between 240 and 350 metres. Its upper half rests on Upper Jurassic marls unusually rich in silica — flint-like "chailles" in the first metres, fine sands and silts above — carrying silty soils that are poor and erosion-prone. About 52 hectares in 2008.
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Corton-Charlemagne
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