2022 Pierre-Olivier Garcia "Cuvée Baie Par Baie" - Corton Grand Cru - 3 Sticle (0.75L)

SSA DPF June 7th

Corton is a grand cru appellation covering the slopes of the Montagne de Corton hill in the Côte de Beaune district of Burgundy. It is the largest grand cru vineyard in Burgundy, and is one of only two where wines are made from both Pinot Noir and Chardonnay (the other is the Musigny vineyard). Corton's wines were a favorite of the Emperor Charlemagne, who lends his name to the white wines made on the western side of the hill.

Vineyard area
The vineyard covers 145 hectares (360 acres) of land across the communes of Aloxe-Corton, Ladoix-Serrigny and Pernand-Vergelesses, which surround the hill. As in Chablis' grand cru vineyards, any mention of the Corton title on a label is almost always followed by the name of the specific climat where the wine originated.

Grape Varieties
While it is generally accurate to say Corton Grand Cru rouge is made from Pinot Noir and Corton Grand Cru blanc is produced from Chardonnay, officially things are a little more flexible – in part due to Pinot Noir's well-documented proclivity to mutate into Pinot Blanc. This flexibility, while legal, it is rarely pushed to the limits by producers.

Corton Grand Cru rouge
Predominantly covered by Pinot Noir, appellation regulations also allow for minor quantities of Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris. This allowance is found across many appellations in Burgundy's Côte d'Or heartland.

In total, Pinot Noir must make up a minimum of 75 percent of any red wine plot. There are no stipulations on proportions in the final wines although by inference Pinot Noir will constitute roughly 75 percent (or above – and, in most cases, around 100 percent) of any Corton Grand Cru red wine.