Today, we’re going to apply serious pressure to Burgundy’s uppermost appellation and I suspect that by the end of it, you too, will be calling Chartron et Trébuchet’s exceedingly luxurious “Les Hautes Mourottes” a Grand Cru Corton-Charlemagne. It’s no secret that the sprawling and majestic hill of Corton is both meticulously delimited and loaded with confusing regulations, which is exactly why today’s smoking 2018 doesn’t have a “1” in front of its $55 price tag.
Scrutinize the attached map and you’ll be even more perplexed: Ladoix 1er Cru “Les Hautes Mourottes” is not only flanked by Corton-Charlemagne real estate, but it also runs seamlessly into Corton’s Grand Cru-designated section of “Les Hautes Mourottes.” They’re essentially the same vineyard, except with an imaginary line stating that one side is worth three digits and the other is worth $55. So yes, in my eyes, today’s Ladoix 1er Cru from Chartron et Trébuchet’s is from Grand Cru-equivalent terroir, and it sacrifices nothing in the way of rich texture, sizzling minerality, and longevity. I can barely contain my excitement when I cross paths with an insider wine of this magnitude—it’s an inner bullseye for Burgundy aficionados and value hunters!
In the early 1980s, Louis Trébuchet, a man with a wealth of wine merchant knowledge, and grape grower Jean-René Chartron joined forces (and surnames) to create the label you see today. Based on the massive breadth of their portfolio, it seems their goal was to bottle wines from almost every major white Burgundy village possible. They were able to achieve this feat in such a short matter of time because they were set up as a négociant, meaning they purchased grapes from growers. Twenty years of success followed, until 2004, when the venture was left in the hands of fourth-generation grower Vincent Sauvestre. When the acquisition occurred, Vincent was blessed with much more than a brick-and-mortar winery—with it came all of their long-established grower contacts, equipment, a trove of back-vintage stock, and the winemaker himself!
As mentioned, today’s rarely seen Ladoix bottling comes from “Les Hautes Mourottes,” a Premier Cru lieu-dit perched at the top of the hill of Corton on the northeast-facing side. It is practically contiguous with (1) Corton’s Grand Cru “Les Hautes Mourottes” just downslope and (2) Grand Cru “Le Corton” which begins about 20 paces to the south. The estate was only able to purchase a tiny amount of fruit from this special site, all of which came from vines positioned to soak up the soft morning rays while avoiding direct contact with the hot, late-afternoon sun.
In the winery, vinification is traditional: After a gentle press upon arrival, the Chardonnay juice is sent into French oak barrels, 50% new, for alcoholic fermentation. The resulting wine then stays in these barrels for 12-18 months of maturation with a constant bâtonnage (stirring of the lees) regimen. The wine was bottled without filtration.
Chartron et Trébuchet’s 2018 Ladoix 1er Cru “Les Hautes Mourottes” is a toasty, mineral-rich lavishly textured Chardonnay à la Corton-Charlemagne, so we highly recommend a minimum 30-minute decant and a drinking temperature that never dips below 50 degrees. The lush and powerful palate is perfectly balanced by pronounced acidity that slices and dices through the generous array of yellow apple, poached pear, pineapple, yellow peach, and lemon curd. As it opens up, broader, softer textures are revealed alongside a finely crushed core of white rock, baking spice, struck flint, honeysuckle, lees, churned butter, and citrus blossoms. Treat this like the luxurious and pedigreed wine it should be recognized as and savor it with a couple of lobster tails drenched in a lemon butter sauce. Enjoy now through 2028.
