Corton Charlemagne 2014 Meo Camuzet

Tasting Note Corton Charlemagne 2014

It offers aromas of lemon and white peach, with crushed oyster shells and a subtle hint of hazelnut from the oak barrels. On the palate, the 2014 Corton Charlemagne feels taut rather than broad, with a nice and balanced acidity, leaving a chalky, almost salty, chewy finish reminiscent of marl and dry stone. It's good to drink now, but a few more years of aging will soften its sharp edges.

Grape Varieties

The 2014 Corton Charlemagne is a single-varietal wine produced in accordance with Grand Cru regulations:

Chardonnay

Grown in the dry soils of the Corton hill, this wine features a firm texture and citrus notes rather than tropical fruit aromas.

Cellaring Potential

It is best enjoyed by 2032. Acidity is the key element that underpins this Corton Charlemagne. Decanting it for 30 minutes and serving it at 12°C will bring out its stone fruit aromas even more.

About Meo Camuzet

For decades Domaine Méo-Camuzet owned some of Burgundy's best land without making the wine from it. Étienne Camuzet, mayor of Vosne-Romanée and a deputy for the Côte-d'Or, was too busy with politics, so he leased his vines out to four farmers, one of them Henri Jayer. That arrangement ran on until 2008, when the last tenants retired and Jean-Nicolas Méo finally had every plot in his own hands. He had come back to Vosne-Romanée in 1989, taught by Jayer and by Christian Faurois, son of one of the estate's historic tenants. Fourteen hectares, six Grand Crus (Richebourg among them), ten Premier Crus across four communes, village wines and three Chardonnays. Every plot is vinified and bottled separately. Organic practices without certification, horses on the difficult slopes, around seventeen months in French oak on average, then gravity bottling, unfiltered.

Christian Faurois retired in 2018 after decades running the vines, replaced by Damien Hudelot.

Méo-Camuzet Frère et Sœurs, the négoce arm was set up in the early 2000s with the same family shareholding and is commercially of importance.

Terroir & Climate

Corton-Charlemagne is located high on the Corton hillside, with west- and south-facing slopes at a gradient of 20-23%. The soil consists of clay-rich marl formed over limestone and rendzina, ranging in color from yellow to ochre. Due to the steep slopes, shallow soil layers, and excellent drainage, Chardonnay matures slowly and retains its acidity well. Spanning 52 hectares across three communes above Aloxe-Corton, this appellation produces a white Burgundy characterised by a solid structure rather than buttery aromas.

Winemaking

French oak barrels are used for the aging of Corton Charlemagne, and the proportion of new oak is determined by the wine's characteristics rather than the vintage. It is aged for approximately 17 months and bottled unfiltered using gravity.

Food Pairing

With this level of acidity, Grand Cru Chardonnay wants fat to push against.

• Turbot or sole in beurre blanc, where the butter softens the stony edge
• Roast Bresse chicken with a cream sauce
• Grilled lobster, lemon and nothing else
• A slice of aged Comté

The dish should be rich in flavor but not overly spiced. Strong seasoning can dull the wine's mineral notes.