Look at almost any image of the unmistakable hill of Corton and you will, essentially, be looking at the Bonneau du Martray estate. With 11 hectares in one block located in the south-western part of the hill in the climats ‘En Charlemagne’ and ‘Le Charlemagne’, this is the largest single vineyard holding in Pernand-Vergelesses and is the same piece of land which was given to the Abbey of Saulieu by Emperor Charlemagne in 775. In January 2017, Domaine Bonneau du Martray was acquired by US businessman E. Stanley Kroenke, making him only the fifth owner in its 1200+ year history. Mr Kroenke’s impressive management team comprises Armand de Maigret and Thibault Jacquet, who spend their time between California – home of Screaming Eagle, The Hilt and Jonata estates – and Burgundy. The core technical team remains unchanged under the new ownership. Fabien Esthor has been vineyard manager since 2003 and Emmanuel Hautus winemaker since 2011. In May 2018, Bonneau du Martray announced that 2.8 of the domaine’s 9.5 hectares of Corton-Charlemagne were to be leased to Domaine de la Romanée-Conti. This well-received move took effect from November 2018. Domaine Bonneau du Martray makes just two wines, both grand cru: Corton-Charlemagne (white) and Corton (red) In 2020, this is once again the defining wine of this famous grand cru, the one to which everyone looks as the quintessential Corton-Charlemagne. The west-facing aspect of the hill means the vines enjoy the long rays of the afternoon sun, making for rich textures and a sumptuous depth of fruit. The bottles have been purchased directly from the domaine’s cellar and have been stored in a humidity and temperature control cellar since. There are in perfect conditions