Edmond Cornu

At the foot of the hill of Corton, in the village of Ladoix-Serrigny at the northern end of the Côte de Beaune, Domaine Edmond Cornu et Fils is a small family estate that has been making wine since the 1870s. It is not a famous name, and that is partly the point. Ladoix remains one of Burgundy's more affordable appellations, and Cornu is one of its most committed producers.

History

The Cornu family settled in Ladoix in 1870 and established the domaine in 1875. Edmond Cornu took charge in 1956 and made a decisive move in 1959: rather than selling everything to négociants as before, he began bottling his own wines. His son Pierre joined him in 1985 and eventually took over as owner, with Edmond staying on as advisor.

In 2020, Pierre and Edith's daughter Lucie joined the team after training in Champagne, the Rhône Valley, Provence, New Zealand, South Africa, and Oregon. Pierre's cousin Emmanuel Boireau also works alongside them. The estate is a member of Bourgogne de Vigne en Verre, a grouping of 35 independent Burgundy domaines founded in 1981.

The Vineyards

The estate covers an area of approximately 16.25 hectares, located in the northern communes of the Côte de Beaune: Ladoix, Aloxe-Corton, Chorey-les-Beaune and Savigny-les-Beaune, as well as a small plot in Corgolon in the Côte de Nuits. Every bottle is bottled on site.

The Terroir

Ladois is situated directly at the foot of the Corton hill, where the Grand Cru vineyards of Les Bressandes, Clos du Roy and Les Renardes rise up from the village. The soils here are limestone and clay, typical of the Côte d’Or, with variations in depth and stone content between the plots.

The village lies on the border between the Côte de Beaune and the Côte de Nuits, which gives wines from different plots completely different characters: some lean towards the power of the north, others towards the softer style of the south.

The Grapes

Of the 16.25 hectares, 14 are planted with Pinot Noir, 1.5 with Chardonnay, and 0.75 with Aligoté. Red wine makes up the overwhelming majority of production.

Winemaking

Grapes are harvested entirely by hand and arrive at the cellar in small tubs. They are sorted and fully destemmed. Red wines ferment in stainless steel tanks at between 30 and 32 degrees Celsius, with both pigeage and remontage used during fermentation, with the balance adjusted according to the vintage. After fermentation, the red wines are transferred to oak barrels for 12 to 18 months of ageing, with sturdier wines spending longer in wood.

Since 2007, the winery has held ‘Agriculture Raisonnée’ (Sustainable Agriculture) certification, and since 2019, Level 3 ‘Haute Valeur Environnementale’ (High Environmental Value) certification, reflecting the use of integrated pest management and cover crops instead of herbicides.

The Wines

The range covers several appellations. From Ladoix itself, there are village-level reds and a white, plus two Premier Crus: La Corvée, from the northern end of the appellation near Buisson, a fuller and more tannic wine; and Le Bois Roussot, from the southern end close to Aloxe-Corton, a lighter, more floral style.

The flagship is the Corton Grand Cru Les Bressandes, from a parcel mid-slope on the hill of Corton.

The range also includes wines from Aloxe-Corton, Savigny-lès-Beaune, Chorey-lès-Beaune, Côte de Nuits-Villages and a white Meursault.