We all know Burgundy from a Grand Cru site can be expensive, if not categorically ruthless. Take cult superstar Coche-Dury’s Corton-Charlemagne, for example: one bottle can surpass the average annual salary in many countries! Obviously, tasting these rarities is more of a dream than a reality, but there are select few producers that eschew prohibitive pricing while exploiting the same terroir.
This is why we so often shine a spotlight on Domaine Delarche: they handcraft each bottle with precision and care, delivering wines that stand shoulder-to-shoulder with these “unreachable” giants. And, in 2016, Delarche has truly outdone themselves. The level of poise, depth, and rich minerality in this wine immediately vaults it into the top tier of great white Burgundy. This is an absolute must for any fine wine collector, any bon vivant, and perhaps most important of all, anyone who wishes to taste the upper echelon of Corton at a realizable price. I urge you to take a few, drink one in the near future, and then strike the rest from your memory for a decade and beyond. When you pull the cork years from now, your restraint will be rewarded tenfold upon witnessing the wine’s breathtaking evolution.
Corton-Charlemagne takes its name from the famed former French Emperor, who gifted this and other vineyards to the religious community of Saint-Andoche de Saulieu in the year 775. As legend has it, this all-Chardonnay vineyard was once an all-Pinot Noir vineyard, from which the hard-partying Emperor Charlemagne enjoyed many a bottle—staining his white beard pink in the process. In an attempt to clean up his beard, if not his act, the Emperor’s wife had the entire vineyard replanted to Chardonnay and the rest is history. So we have her to thank for Chardonnays like this: concentrated, graceful, long-lived whites that combine both power and finesse.
Domaine Delarche’s 20-acre family estate lies in the foothills above Pernand-Vergelesses, just a few minutes’ walk to the massive base of Corton (they’ve bottled Corton since the 1940s). Father-son team Philippe and Etienne jointly tended the vineyards and crafted the wine until Philippe lost a long battle with cancer in 2007. Since then, Etienne Delarche has run the domaine. Surprisingly, the grand wines from Delarche still remain somewhat under the radar (which may explain the amazing price for a Grand Cru that generally fetches prices that are multiples higher).
The family’s piece of Corton-Charlemagne is said to be measured in rows, not acres, and these rows sit at the top of the hill in the section called “En Charlemagne,” which faces west toward Pernand. The soils up here are limestone-rich marls with a grayish hue, and Delarche’s vines push past 50 years of age. Grapes are always hand harvested and fermentation on indigenous yeasts occurs in French oak. The nascent wine is then transferred into 100% new French barrels for 14 months before it is bottled both unfined and unfiltered.
In the glass, the wine displays a deep yellow core with pale gold highlights and slight green reflections leading out to the rim. There’s no way around it: the wine is an infant and needs time to unfold and relax. Right out of the bottle, the wine tingles with excitement with high-toned aromas. As it opens up, you’ll experience ripe yellow apple, dried pineapple, meyer lemon, Anjou pear, toasted nuts, lime zest, yellow plum, honeysuckle, vanilla, and exotic spices that have been beautifully integrated. On the palate, you’ll receive a richly textured medium-plus bodied Chardonnay that delivers electric citrus notes, ripe yellow fruits, immense levels of crushed rock/earth minerality, and an extremely long finish that is accented by a brilliant lift of freshness and baking spice. As mentioned above, this Corton is a baby—if drinking now, a two hour decant is a requirement! It’s learning to crawl right now, will be walking in a few years, and by its tenth and fifteenth birthday, will be running marathons with pumping arms and a puffed out chest. If drinking early, pair with the attached veal piccata (a lemon, butter, and parsley sauce), and for those that patiently wait for a decade or two, seek out a delicate chicken dish with white truffle. Cheers!
