CORTON-CHARLEMAGNE GRAND CRU > ROPITEAU Frères

Production area

This Grand Cru appellation exists only in white and covers a surface area of 71.87 ha of which 48.57 ha of vines are located in Aloxe-Corton, 17.25 ha in Pernand-Vergelesses and 6.5 ha in Ladoix-Serrigny.

Origins

The emperor Charlemagne gave these vines to the collegiate church of Saint-Adoche in Saulieu in 775 to whom they belonged for the next thousand years.
The soil is composed of clay and white marl.

Varietal

100% Chardonnay

Tasting notes

From pale gold with green highlights to amber and more yellow nuances. This infinitely delicate wine expresses itself through buttery tones, baked apple, citrus, pineapple, lime blossom, fern, juniper, cinnamon and flint. On the palate, it offers power, richness, concentration and ideal balance.

Vinification and maturing

Vinified in oak barrels under the action natural grape yeasts, our Corton Charlemagne is then raised for 18 months on fine lees. He will pass then several weeks in stainless steel tanks in order to best combine the different barrels before being bottled.

Food and wine pairing

The manner in which Corton-Charlemagne achieves a perfect balance in the mouth between its remarkable acidity and its rounded opulence demands refined and delicate dishes which nonetheless possess real aromatic power. The natural candidates would include foie gras, whose bitterness would be supported by the wine’s forceful minerality, as well as more conventional classics such as good-quality crustaceans (lobster, crawfish, crab) whose strong but delicate flesh harmonizes with the wine in a spectacular fashion. Poultry or veal in white sauces would also do the wine justice, as would blue cheeses.